Forgive the Night
by general zargon
Summary: When Savitar went for a walk he never expected to run into someone not even he could have seen coming. Rated M for future chapters. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

General Zargon: new story!! 

Ryuuketsu: start the story or face death by rubber duck!!!-brandishes rubber duck of DOOM-

General Zargon:-looks uneasily at muse- this story is actually a crossover of sorts with Buffy the vampire slayer

Ryuuketsu: the author does not own the Dark Hunter series or Buffy the Vampire Slayer

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Savitar casually walked down the street in his beach clothes that earned him many funny looks, not that he cared. He walked slowly, not having any particular place to go though to be honest he didn't know WHY he'd felt the peculiar urge to even walk. While he pondered if he'd well and truly gone insane he forgot to look where he was going and ran smack dab into someone. Charity Price spat an unlady-like curse as she ran into a brick wall, at least that's what it felt like to her as she landed on her butt and the person she ran into didn't even budge! She fumed as she checked herself for injuries and thought spitefully 'damn bastard didn't even flinch' she looked up with an entire rant on the tip of her tongue but when she caught sight of him all thoughts in her head died a sudden and very pleasant death. He was dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and loose beach shorts, he had dark brown hair down to his shoulders and a neatly trimmed goatee, he was tanned and had tattoos on the skin that she could see. The only thought in her mind was 'no one should have the right to look THAT good in a Hawaiian shirt' she was snapped back to reality by his chuckle and smug look as he reached out a hand to help her up.

Savitar smirked as he heard the thoughts in her head and as he held out a hand to help her up he took the opportunity to really look at her. She had flaming red hair that went a little past her shoulders and she had smoldering green eyes. She was dressed in a dark blue button-up blouse with long sleeves and a medium length gold skirt. She reluctantly accepted his hand and allowed him to pull her up, she was amazed at how easily he pulled her up, and she dusted herself off.

"Thanks for the hand" she said grudgingly.

Savitar smirked as he replied "no problem but you really should watch where your going"

Now that really set her temper off "excuse me but I don't see you paying attention!" she snapped at him with her hands on her hips.

He continued to smirk as he answered with an amused look in his eyes "I'm sorry, buy you a drink to make up for it?"

She slowly calmed down and thought about his offer before reluctantly nodding "I could use a drink" she admitted and Savitar offered her his arm with a smirk. Savitar inwardly debated if he'd gone insane 'I just invited a human out for a drink! What am I thinking!?' meanwhile Charity was thinking the same thing 'I just accepted a strange man's offer to take me out for a drink! What am I thinking?!' suddenly it occurred to her that she didn't know the man's name.

"My name's Charity in case your wondering" she said.

Savitar smirked and said "my name's Savitar in case your wondering"

Charity huffed at his mockery and then noticed where they were "Sanctuary? Nice choice" she said as she walked into the bar in front of Savitar.

Aimee Peltier looked up from the bar and smiled brightly when she saw Charity Price enter. Charity was a regular and had become a friend to Aimee and the bearswan was fiercely protective of her. The human had been coming to Sanctuary ever since she was in high school and one night Aimee's curiosity had overrode her common sense and she'd struck up a conversation with Charity. From that one conversation Aimee had found out that Charity had been having trouble in her classes and that one of her classmates had been harassing her, Aimee had made sure that the classmate in question never bothered Charity again. She had also found that Charity was independent, had a temper that put a dragon's to shame, and was fiercely loyal. Aimee told Charity just about everything except the truth about what she and the rest of Sanctuary's clientele really were. Charity didn't know anything about Were-Hunters or Dark-Hunters or Dream-Hunters and she especially didn't know about Daimons and Aimee made sure that no Daimon that came into Sanctuary bothered Charity. Her smiled faded when she saw the man that walked in behind Charity "Savitar" she whispered in shock as the duo approached the bar.

Charity frowned as she took in Aimee's shocked face "what's wrong Aimee?" she asked her friend as she and Savitar sat on stools in front of the bar.

"Nothing" Aimee said hurriedly when she caught the look Savitar was giving her.

Charity shrugged at her friends odd behavior and said "the usual please Aimee"

The bearswan nodded and looked questioningly at Savitar and he replied "I'm buying and I'll have what she's having" again Aimee nodded and set about getting their drinks. The bearswan watched the interaction between her friend and the Omegrion's mediator like a hawk, figuratively speaking of course as the were-hawks were currently in the kitchen and Jasyn was playing pool.

Charity looked at Savitar and asked "what do you do for a living?"

Savitar fought the urge to laugh and instead replied "this and that" at Charity's raised eyebrow he replied "investments" Charity accepted the lie easily and soon an easy going conversation, with a lot of lying on Savitar's part, was started and Aimee moved to wait on other customers after seeing that her friend was safe.

Charity happened to be glancing at her watch during a brief lull in the conversation and gaped at what time it was "sorry Sav but I've got to get back to my house" she hurriedly said and took off running out the door before Savitar could even process her nickname for him. Charity dug her keys out of her purse and cursed herself for losing track of time over a guy 'an attractive guy who looks good in a Hawaiian shirt' she amended in her mind as she finally got the door open and the second she was inside she was tackled to the ground and her face was licked enthusiastically by a big, black wolf "easy Rage!" she laughed as the wolf got off of her. The wolf's main color was black but his right hind foot was dark gray.

Charity turned on the lights and absently scratched the wolf behind the ear "sorry I'm so late boy but I got caught up talking to this really great guy" she sighed blissfully and Rage tilted his head and cocked an eyebrow in a way that just said 'tell me more' Charity gave in and spilled everything about her day. Rage sat beside her on the couch and listened as Charity described the guy she met in amazing detail. Charity sighed blissfully as she sank back into the sofa "do you think I'll see him again Rage?" the wolf in question nodded his head enthusiastically causing Charity to giggle as she got up and went into her bedroom to get some well deserved sleep.

Savitar cursed as he angrily paced in his room on Neratiti. He snarled as he made another circuit around the large room, he was a complete idiot! Why else would he have drinks with a human woman? Because she was a woman and a right beautiful one at that. He'd picked Charity's story out of Aimee's head and thoroughly studied it and found he agreed with almost all of the bearswan's views regarding Charity 'she deserves to be treated with respect and love' he thought as he continued to pace though at a much slower race and then his thoughts wandered and he found himself wondering what Acheron was doing 'what the hell? I'll just take a look real quick' he thought as he summoned his powers and found Ash in Artemis' temple, double knotted to the bedpost.

He felt his heart go out to the man, or God though Ash would deny it vehemently, and recalled that Charity had mentioned a friend of hers so with little effort he recalled that point in the conversation "Maya was so torn up when Brad broke up with her even though I told her that he wasn't good enough for her. The thing with Maya is that whenever she falls in love it's the real deal and she'll do anything for the person she loves. You just don't find people who can love like that very often and I'm sure that one day she'll make some guy very happy. I just hope that she finds someone who'll love her as much as she loves them" he thought for a moment and then a devious grin came over his face as he fought the urge to rub his hands together and give a maniacal laugh 'I think some matchmaking is in order' he thought so evilly that he almost felt sorry for Acheron…keyword being almost.

He thought for a moment before another grin spread across his face as he willed himself into Artemis' temple with barely a thought. The Koris screamed and ran for the door while Artemis blanched and gripped the armrests of he chair tighter "Savitar" she said in a strangled voice and he could practically taste the fear radiating from her.

"Artie, I want to make a bet with you" he said and Artemis said up straighter in interest. He mentally rolled his eyes as he thought 'probably thinking of ways to get me under her control' he resisted the urge to snort and continued "first let me tell you the stakes. Acheron's soul against one piece of information from me" he could clearly hear Artemis debate within herself and he could also tell that the object of the bet was sleeping in Artemis' bedroom having been untied from the bedpost mere moments before. Savitar smirked and said to Artemis "take it or leave it, no skin off my nose" that decided it for Artemis.

"deal, what are the conditions of this bet?" she asked.

Savitar did a little mental victory dance before he outwardly smirked and said "simple, the bet is that if Acheron falls in love with a woman of my choosing then I get his soul but if he doesn't you can ask me one question and I'll answer it but YOU can't interfere or you'll suffer the full extent of my wrath Artemis, don't doubt that for a second" Artemis looked as though she might argue but then remembered who she was dealing with and shut her mouth.

Savitar felt Acheron awaken and used his power to keep Acheron in the bedroom "I believe we're finished here Artemis" without another word he willed himself back to his room on Neratiti and once there he gave an evil laugh before clamping his mouth shut and glancing around to make sure that no one was there. He shook his head at his own paranoia and after a moments contemplation he sent his thoughts out to locate Charity and a moment later he blinked in shock as he sensed the Katagari Were-Hunter in her house and a bare moment later he relaxed and grinned as he learned the story behind the Katagari wolf that was currently staying with Charity as a pet. Apparently the wolf was only 40 years old and had been abandoned as a pup but before he could die Charity found him and took him in and kept him alive. The thing was that Charity apparently didn't know that her pet wolf was actually a Katagari Were-Hunter and the wolf had no intention of telling her. Savitar grinned as he silently began plotting to see the red-headed human again.

He frowned suddenly as the knowledge that someone was watching Charity's house came to his mind and without a moments hesitation he found out who it was. Frank Houston, as Savitar learned the man's thoughts towards Charity he grew more and more enraged and without another thought he made it so that the man would have an accident on the way back to his house. He felt a little better knowing that the man would soon meet an untimely demise. He snickered as he began thinking about how he could get Acheron and Maya together without Acheron trying to kill or dismember him. An idea came to him and before he disappeared he gave an evil cackle that would have sent shivers down Apollymi's spine.

In Katoteros Apollymi looked up and frowned as a shiver went down her spine and she idly wondered what was going on.

Charity yawned as she woke up and stretched before catching sight of the clock and staring at it in shock before reality set in and she screamed "12:00!!! I overslept!!!" she sprang out of bed and ran around trying to get dressed. Her wolf just sat there rolling around in what she SWORE was laughter "oh laugh it up you!" she snapped at the wolf as she grabbed her bag and ran out the door and, after locking it, diving into her car and driving off to her classes. The day passed quickly and when Rage tried to pounce once she opened the door she snapped "don't even think about it!" she screamed at the wolf causing him to cower. She sighed as all her anger seemed to leave her and she slumped causing Rage to trot over to her in worry "I'm sorry boy" she said as she dropped her bag and pat Rage on the head when he whined softly. A soft 'ping!' from the computer told her that someone was online and when she checked who it was she smiled as she read the message.

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): how you been?

Charity was about to reply when another 'ping!' sounded and another message appeared on screen causing her to smile as she read.

Sundown: hey Char'! how you been? And hi Turtle boy!

Charity giggled as she typed out a reply and read Mikey's while she did.

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): read the name you cowboy knock off!

Charity: I'm fine just had a hard day at school. And Sunny? Quit teasing Mikey okay?-insert puppy eyes-

Sundown: oh okay but only for you Char'

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): thanks Char'! so everybody spills about they're day?

Charity: okay!

Sundown: sure!

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): Char' is first!

Charity: darn! Okay first I got up late and my pet wolf laughed at me and then I was late to my classes causing me to get detention and get a scolding in front of the entire class! But the only highlight in my day has been the fact that I can always imagine that somebody out there is having a worse day than me!!!!!!!!

Sundown: whoa! Sorry you had such a bad day Char'-insert sympathetic look-

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): yeah! Sorry bout your day Char' but somewhere in the world is a hermit living in the mountains having a worse day than you!

Charity:-dryly- thanks a lot Mikey but -perks up- there is good news!

Sundown: please don't tell me that you saved money by switching to geico

Charity: darn it! You ruined my joke Sunny! But no that wasn't it

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): what is the good news?

Charity: my friend Marie is going to Greece! Isn't that great?!

Sundown: this the same Marie that beat up that jock at your school for looking at her funny?

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): this the same Marie that has the temper that rivals a dragon's?

Charity: yup!-insert happy face- she promised to bring me and Maya back souvenirs!

Sundown: that reminds me -thoughtful look- how is Maya taking that break up? She okay?-concerned look-

Charity:-face falls- she's taking it hard and I'm going over to her house for a chick flick and ice cream marathon in about an hour

Sundown:-sheepish look- sorry, didn't mean to ruin your mood

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): way to go Sunny -screws up his face- so any other things we should know about before we sign off? My shift starts in a few minutes

Sundown: and my job starts in a few minutes too

Charity: well I did meet this handsome guy yesterday and we had drinks and talked for a while -dreamy sigh-

Sundown:-whistles- this guy have blonde hair?

Charity:-frowns at Sunny- no, his hair was dark brown

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): sorry to cut this discussion short but my older brother his yelling at me to get my ass to work

Sundown: s'okay Mikey, I should probably get to work soon too

Charity: talk to you later guys?

Sundown: sure thing Char'!

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): talk to you guys later!

Michelangelo(not a turtle!) has signed out.

Sundown has signed out.

Charity has signed out.

She sighed as she shut off her computer and started getting ready for her sleepover with Maya 'poor Maya' she thought and she sighed as she packed the things she needed for the sleepover. She patted Rage on the head before she refilled his water and put food in his bowl "hey boy, I'll be gone for the night so don't tear up the place okay?" she asked and smiled when Rage nodded. She walked out of the room and locked the door before turning around and walking off towards Maya's dorm. She knocked on the door to Maya's room and called "hey girl! It's me!"

she heard Maya call back "come on in!" she opened the door and smiled when she saw all the movies and smelled the popcorn.

She walked over to Maya and asked "are we going to sleep tonight?"

The other girl laughed as she replied "not at all" they both laughed as they sat on the couch to begin the movie marathon.

Maya Carter was slim and about 6'5 but had little in the way of self-confidence. She had black hair and unusual amber eyes and a sweet demeanor but for some reason all of her boyfriends had broken up with her, leaving her in tears, and moved on to cheerleaders or they made up some excuse about them not working out. Charity sighed before turning her attention back to the movie where the hero had just lost his shirt. It was very late when they finally went to sleep. The next morning Charity woke up with a start and blushed as she recalled the dream she'd had and prayed that Savitar never learned about it 'come on Charity! It's not like you'll see the guy again' she scolded herself and got out of her sleeping bag to shower and dress before classes started. When she got out of the shower and had dressed she met Maya in the kitchen area "hey girl!" Maya greeted with a smile and Charity felt herself smile back as she returned the greeting and sat down.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Maya asked curiously.

Charity grinned as she replied "well, I was planning on going home after classes to feed Rage and IM Sunny and Mikey and then I was planning on going to Sanctuary, you want to come with?"

Maya giggled and answered "if you mean about Sanctuary then hell yeah! What are they putting in the water that turns out so many gorgeous men in one place?" Maya wondered and Charity giggled as she and Maya launched into the age old debate of what caused so many gorgeous men to be in one place.

After feeding Rage and getting dressed in her clubbing attire which consisted of black jeans that clung to her legs like a second skin and a black leather, low-cut top that accented her breasts and she also had on black leather boots that stopped mid-calf. She met Maya at the door and together they were off, Maya was wearing jeans and a simple red tank with sneakers, to Sanctuary. Entering the bar they were greeted by Dev, who had apparently gotten guard duty that night, "hey Charity" he greeted with a grin.

Charity replied "hey Dev, Aimee around?"

the bearswain snorted good naturedly and complained "always looking for Aimee, if I didn't know any better I would swear that there is something going on between you two"

Charity slapped his arm while Maya burst into giggles "I don't swing that way, Dev!" charity scolded the bear but the effect was ruined by her grin. After a few more minutes of banter Charity and Maya finally went inside and were greeted by loud music coming from the Howlers on stage. The two girls made their way to the bar and they claimed seats right beside each other. "the usual?" Aimee asked with a smile as she walked over and jotted it down before getting the drinks. Maya and Charity chatted with Aimee until she had to leave to take more orders "you think we should mingle?" Maya asked nervously.

Charity shook her head "nah! All men are egotistical morons who wouldn't know a real woman if they hit them over the head!"

shortly after her bold declaration ,that had Maya in tears, someone tapped Charity on the shoulder and said "for the sake of my gender I feel I must protest that statement" a deep voice said and both women spun around and gaped.

Charity recovered first and reached over to shut Maya's mouth before responding "vetoed! All men are morons and that's a fact!" she stated as she stared at Savitar in shock at seeing him there "so Sav, what do you have to say to that?"

the man in question simply grinned and replied "I say that I'll have to prove you wrong" with that Savitar swept Charity off her feet and onto the dance floor, leaving Maya alone to fend for herself.

Maya glanced nervously around and jumped when someone sat on Charity's recently vacated stool causing Maya to look and struggle not to drool. The man on the stool was at least 6'8 and he had black-hair but he was wearing shades so she couldn't tell what color his eyes were. He was wearing a formfitting t-shirt under a leather jacket and he had on leather pants and biker boots. She exerted an effort and blinked and looked up to see him watching her causing her to blush violently and stammer "um, sorry for staring"

the man smirked and introduced himself "my name is Acheron, or Ash if you prefer"

Maya smiled and replied "my name is Maya" an easy conversation ensued. Charity returned and saw Maya talking to Acheron and was about to go over to them when Savitar placed his hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear "don't. let them talk, it's not like it could do any harm" Charity saw the logic in that and she turned around and grabbed Savitar.

At his amused face she smirked and answered his unasked question "if I can't leave yet then I might as well have some fun with a guy who looks way to good in a Hawaiian shirt" Savitar grinned at the shirt comment and pulled her close for some dancing. It was a long time before the two girls went home.

The next morning Charity woke up with a smile on her face and she reached over to the phone to call Maya ,Maya had gone back to her house, and get the story on the Goth man that she'd seen her friend talking to. After dialing the number and waiting for a moment Maya picked up the phone on the fifth ring "hello?"

Charity heard her friend's groggy voice and replied cheerfully "hey Maya! What's the story on that Goth hunk I saw you talking to?" in an instant Maya perked up and started telling Charity about Acheron. They talked for a little over 2 hours before Charity sighed and said "sorry to cut this conversation short Maya but I have to get to Sanctuary and see if I can spot Savitar" they both burst into giggles and then they said their goodbyes before hanging up. As it was Saturday classes were cancelled and Charity had the whole day to enjoy herself. She walked into Sanctuary and smiled at Aimee as she sat down at the bar "Savitar around here?" she asked Aimee, trying to be casual but obviously not succeeding if the look Aimee gave her was any indication.

"haven't seen him" was the reply causing Charity to slump, at least until a voice commented "obviously not looking hard enough" she spun around and beamed when she saw Savitar standing there with his hands in his pockets. Today he was dressed in an open, blue-and-green beach shirt that showed off his eight-pack of abs and a pair of white slouchy pants.

Charity looked him up and down before replying "umm umm, somebody get some ice 'cause this guy is ho-ot!" she grinned at her cheesy line and was relieved when Savitar grinned back and teased "only for you baby" she blushed even as she laughed.

She turned to Aimee and ordered "the usual and another for this hunk of salty goodness" she pointed to Savitar when she said hunk, the man in question grinned wider and nodded at Aimee when she looked at him for confirmation.

As they sipped their drinks Charity looked at Savitar and asked "want to go on a real date tomorrow, Sav?"

Savitar pretended to think about it before smirking and saying "sure babe, when and where?"

Charity giggled and answered "tomorrow. 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Madame Selena's tarot stand" Savitar nodded and another conversation ensued, again with a lot of lying on Savitar's part. Time passed quickly and soon it was close to sundown "sorry to cut the evening short Sav but I have get home and feed Rage" she quickly explained at his raised eyebrow "my pet wolf, I'll have to tell you that story sometime."

He smiled and replied "sure thing babe" as Charity waved good bye. He watched her walk out the door and he sighed before looking to see Aimee glaring at him with enough venom to take out a whale "what?" Savitar asked in amusement which only caused Aimee to glare harder.

"you break Charity's heart and I swear I will hunt you down and castrate you, I don't care if you're the Omegrion's mediator" she warned him and Savitar chuckled dryly.

He responded with a cocky grin on his face "you can try ,bearswan, you can try" with that he downed the rest of his drink and stood up before vanishing into thin air only to reappear a second later to drop some money on the table "keep the change" he told Aimee and then vanished again. Aimee waited a few moments before grinning widely and going back to waiting tables.

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General Zargon: first chapter done!!-does the Macarena-

Ryuuketsu:-rolls eyes- Yay for you

General Zargon: okay. That is it!!-grabs muse and stuffs him into a sock drawer- there!!

Ryuuketsu:-in sock drawer- noooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

General Zargon: yes!-gives a maniacal laugh- R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	2. The Date

General Zargon: next chapter!-does the conga- 

Ryuuketsu:-is locked in a sock drawer- let me out!!

General Zargon:-bangs on drawer- no!! enjoy the chapter!

Ryuuketsu:-from inside drawer- the author does not own the Dark-Hunter series or Buffy

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Charity fidgeted nervously as she stood by Madame Selena's tarot stand and checked her watch yet again and sighed when she realized only a minute had passed since she last checked. She was waiting for Savitar to show up and she was getting anxious, even if it was only 3:56. She shouldn't be so anxious, she scolded herself in her head as she looked around yet again for the tell-tale Hawaiian shirt, not seeing him she looked down and sighed.

'I shouldn't have even bothered' she thought miserably as she plucked at her platinum top. She was dressed in a platinum silk tank-top and a gold mini-skirt, though she hadn't put on make-up. She checked her watch again '3:57, great' she thought miserably as she continued to stand there "you waiting on someone, sweetie?" a voice asked and she jumped before realizing that it was Madame Selena who'd spoken.

She took a deep breath and answered "yeah and I know he has three minutes left but I can't help but feel that asking him out was a mistake" she didn't know why she said that but she figured that it was because she needed another woman to talk to.

Selena smiled as she replied "listen sweetie, men can't be expected to arrive on time for anything, it's just a law of nature"

A voice suddenly drawled out "well then, I must have missed the memo, plus I never really followed the rules of nature or any other rules" both women looked up and gaped at Savitar. He was wearing a tye-dyed beach shirt, that was left open, and baggy, tan beach shorts. Savitar chuckled at the stunned look on both women's faces and wryly commented "and would you look at that, I'm right on time"

Charity looked at her watch and stared at the number that greeted her, 4:00 stared back at her. Charity looked back at Savitar and smiled "yup, you're right on time" she looked at Selena "sorry for loitering next to your stand"

Selena smiled before replying "no problem, mind telling me your name though?"

Charity flushed in embarrassment as she introduced herself "my names Charity Price and this hunk is Savitar" she pointed at Savitar as she introduced him. Charity smiled before turning to Savitar with a grin "first things first, we go get something to eat!" with that announcement she ran over to the Hard Rock Café.

Savitar was about to follow her when Selena's puzzled voice stopped him "Savitar? As in the Omegrion's mediator?"

He gave a cocky smile before replying "yep, but don't even think about telling Charity that" the last part was a warning but, as it turns out, it wasn't needed.

Selena snorted and shot back "like she'd believe me, now go on and enjoy your date"

Savitar merely smiled and commented "like you could stop me" he then strolled towards where Charity was waiting impatiently for him.

Charity looked at him quizzically when he stopped next to her "what were you talking about?"

He smiled and teased "jealous?"

She snorted at him as they took they're seats, Charity frowned when she noticed the way the waitress was looking at Savitar 'tramp' she thought before turning back to Sav and replying "not on your life" Savitar merely laughed, both at what she thought and what she said. After they had placed they're orders, with Charity calling the waitress some very creative names in her mind, much to Savitar's amusement, they settled down to wait for their orders. Once the order arrived and they started eating Savitar asked "so, what's the story with your pet wolf?" of course he already knew but he wanted her to tell him.

Charity smiled at the memory and began "it was about 2 years ago, me and some friends were out camping. We were cooking some hot dogs when I heard some bushes rustle, and me being an idiot at the time, I went over to investigate. When I parted the bushes I was staring at a starving wolf pup, he tried to run but I caught him and I guess he was to weak to fight, but anyway, he gave up without much of a fight and I brought him back to the campsite and fed him some hot dogs until he fell asleep. The next day I drove back to the city and took him to my room, I just couldn't bring myself to let the zoo have him so I kept on feeding him until he was back to health. Then I took him back to the wilderness and released him but when I got back to the house he was sitting on the front porch. I guess from there the rest is self-explanatory" Savitar nodded and smirked as they finished up there food.

They left the café and went window shopping for awhile until they got to Sanctuary. Charity waved to Dev as she and Savitar entered the bar. Dev waved back with a smile until they were in the club and then a worried frown took over his features as he thought 'I hope Charity knows what she's doing' he sighed before going back to his job. Savitar smirked as he heard the bearswain's thought and shook his head ruefully 'little Charity is very well liked' he noted to himself as he took a seat across from Charity at a table.

Aimee came over and Charity ordered "the usual, please" Savitar smiled and ordered the same. He was really starting to like that drink, he noticed and found he didn't mind one bit.

The bearswan smiled and said "coming right up" Aimee then headed to the bar to retrieve their orders. Suddenly "Sweet Home Alabama" started playing and Savitar frowned, he didn't sense Acheron anywhere in the bar, in fact, a quick check revealed the Atlantean to be at the Hunter's residence. Charity noticed his frown and asked worriedly "what? You don't like this song?"

Savitar immediately smiled and said "no, it's just that they always play that song whenever someone I know comes in here" he then added "and he isn't here now so I was wondering why they were playing it" Charity nodded and didn't ask anything more on the subject. Just then Savitar noticed a Daimon eyeing Charity with a hungry look on his face 'new guy' Savitar heard Aimee think as the bearswan got ready to unleash hell on the Daimon's ass. Savitar stifled a snort of amusement as the Daimon made his way over to where he and Charity were sitting 'idiot' Savitar thought as he watched Aimee move into attack position.

Even though he himself had nothing to fear from the bearswan he had to give Aimee credit, she was a force to be reckoned with when she was pissed off and messing with Charity was a sure way to get her that way, if Aimee's current thoughts about what she would do to the Daimon if he touched Charity were any indication. Savitar looked at the Daimon as he leaned against the bar next to Charity and Sav, the mediator already knew every single pick-up line the Daimon was ready to use on Charity and he was prepared insult the Daimon at every turn when he did, if Charity didn't beat him to it that is.

The Daimon opened his mouth and said with a seductive, at least he thought so, grin "hey ,baby, you want to have some fun?" he blinked in shock when the girl he was trying to seduce, keyword being trying, burst out laughing.

Charity tried to rein in her mirth even as she said "seriously, why would I say yes when I'm on a date with this guy?" she jerked her thumb at Savitar and was even more amused when the Daimon gulped and backed away. She giggled as she watched the Daimon run out the door, and then "Sweet Home Alabama" began playing and half the clientele ran for the door. Charity was confused as she looked around and turned to Savitar in confusion, only to find him smirking. She dismissed her confusion and went back to sipping her drink, this time keeping an eye out for guys trying to hit on her.

Savitar snickered quietly as he thought 'nice one bearswan' Aimee had gone over to the juke box and began playing that song, knowing it would make the Daimon and half the clientele run for the door. He snickered again, but stop when he caught Charity's confused look. He decided to take pity on her and instead suggested "how about we go see a movie, chances are some blonde guy won't try to hit on you there" Charity only nodded gratefully and finished her drink before standing up in preparation of leaving.

Savitar stood up as well and set some money on the counter for the drinks, which confused Charity even further since she hadn't seen him pull out a wallet or anything. She shook her head and instead followed Savitar out the door and into the street, heading for the movie theater. Charity glanced at Savitar and grinned as she walked beside him "hey Sav, what movie are we seeing?"

She was unnerved by Savitar's grin as he answered "Jaws" Charity felt a shiver run down her spine and prayed to any god out there that this would be relatively painless on her part.

Apparently the gods were against her at that moment.

Charity clutched onto Savitar's arm and restrained the urge to scream in terror and rage, terror because the movie was full of blood, and rage at Savitar for making her watch it. Meanwhile, Savitar was enjoying having Charity cling to him, and even though he had lost feeling in his arm thirty minutes ago, he thought it was worth it. He snickered as he heard Charity's homicidal thoughts towards him at that moment 'I didn't know you could do that with a household plant' he thought idly as he caught a particularly violent thought involving him, a household plant, and a bottle of Listerine.

He continued to snicker throughout the movie, completely dismissing the weird looks he was getting from the people near him when he burst out laughing at the image of him wearing a ballerina outfit while being strangled with dental floss, courtesy of Charity, who was still clinging to his arm for dear life, he noted with a smirk as he settled down for the rest of the movie 'only one more hour to go' he thought in malicious glee as he continued to watch the movie, and listen to Charity's rather interesting, though a bit homicidal, thoughts.

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General Zargon: sorry this chapter is so short!!!!!!! I've been running a little low on inspiration

Ryuuketsu: and because of that, the author has decided to extend a little offer, anyone who has an idea for a scene or idea for the next chapter is urged to submit it, even though the author might not use it

General Zargon: what my muse said! Now R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ryuuketsu: yeah, R&R


	3. The Terror of Shopping

General Zargon: chapter 3!!! Yay!!!-does a square dance- 

Ryuuketsu:-rolls eyes- just start the damn chapter

General Zargon:-pouts- fine -continues dancing- enjoy the chapter!!!

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Charity practically ran from the theater when the movie was over. She glared at the smirking Savitar and mentally swore vengeance on him. She practically hissed at him when he tried to put his arm around her and she barely refrained from strangling him with one of her shoe-laces when he snickered at her.

Savitar rubbed his arm to try and get some feeling back into it without seeming too obvious. Charity had a very strong grip. He snickered when Charity pushed his arm off her shoulder and thought of strangling him. Charity had a very good imagination, which he had learned during the movie in which Charity had come up with some very creative uses for toothpaste and dental floss. Savitar was shaken from his amusement when Charity suddenly smirked, looking very evil at that moment. He shifted nervously, not liking the thoughts running through Charity's mind at that moment one bit.

Charity smirked wider at the slightly nervous look on Savitar's face, she mentally cackled evilly as she whispered evilly to a now very nervous Sav "Time for the woman's revenge...shopping!" she said the last part in a normal tone, but Savitar was very afraid nonetheless. He gave a small whimper as Charity grabbed his arm again and dragged him towards the stores 'I'm really starting to regret taking Charity to see that movie' Sav thought as he was dragged into the first store 'Immortality be damned, I'm not sure I'll survive this' he whimpered again as he looked at the next store he was dragged into. Women's Lingerie.

A few hours later, he found himself praying for the world to end, either that or a meteor to fall from the sky and kill him. He was sure that shopping was invented by women to get revenge on men, and it was fulfilling it's purpose admirably. He glanced around in the vain hope that he could spot an escape route, though he didn't have much luck. Charity turned from the rack she was currently looking through and saw Savitar looking for an escape route 'Oh no you don't' she thought as she grabbed Savitar by the arm and dragged him deeper into the depths of the Store.

Sav had started thinking of it in capital letters about an hour ago.

Charity stopped suddenly, causing Savitar to almost bowl her over, not that he minded the thought of being on top of Charity in the slightest. Charity was oblivious to the direction Savitar's thoughts were going, as she was to focused on the item that had caught her attention. She slowly released Sav's arm and fairly sprinted over to the piece of clothing that had caught her attention. Savitar blinked in confusion before looking at the item that had caused Charity to release him. He refrained from grinning as he looked at the piece of clothing that had caused Charity to fall into an almost hypnotized state.

The aforementioned female removed the nightgown that had caught her attention from it's rack and held it up to her body to see if it would. Oh Lord. she hoped that it would fit. The nightgown was rather simple in shape, though very sexy in design. It had a V-neck with intricate lace trimming peeking out of the bottom of the V. It had more intricate lace trimming, seeming to form rose designs, at the area where the mid-drift should be. The lace designs took up the entire middle section of the nightgown, stopping just under the bottoms of the breasts and just above the hips, what made it even more sexy was the fact that the lace was partially transparent. The nightgown had a long skirt that almost brushed the floor, and the top had no sleeves. The best part was that the whole outfit was rose red.

Charity was shaken from her admiring the outfit when she caught sight of the price tag. She gaped in shock at the ridiculous price "What the Hell!? There is no way I can afford this!!" she exclaimed in a voice just short of a shriek, thankfully Savitar thought to put up a sound barrier once he had a look at the price tag himself. Charity didn't notice that no one heard her shriek as she was to busy gaping at the price tag as though it have grievously insulted her. Sav held in his laughter through a severe force of will that amazed even himself, he did; however, chuckle quietly as he looked at Charity's outraged face.

Sav whistled under his breath as he reached out his hand and snapped his fingers in front Charity's face. That brought her out of the daze she had fallen into at seeing the ridiculous price attached to the nightgown she now held in a death grip. She took a few deep breaths before carefully replacing the nightgown back on the rack and then turning slowly around, and fairly stomping out of the store, with Savitar only to happy to follow her out of the Store.

Charity hissed quietly under her breath, but she didn't need to as her deadly aura made sure everyone gave her at least ten feet of room as she stomped down the street with Savitar following ten feet behind her. Sav whistled softly as he followed after the fuming red-haired woman 'Well, Charity maybe homicidal but at least I got out of that damned store' he grinned as he sped up to avoid losing Charity in the slowly thickening crowd, though that wasn't hard to do as the crowd parted for Charity as soon as they felt her killing intent. Savitar looked around and smirked as he thought 'So, Charity wants to pour her troubles out to Aimee? I can deal with that' he started whistling again as they walked through the doors of Sanctuary.

Maya hesitated as she reached for the phone again. She withdrew her hand from the phone and bit her lip anxiously. She wanted to call Charity, but she didn't want to interrupt her friends date. Maya nibbled on her lower lip anxiously before an idea hit her and she steeled herself before slowly reaching over and picking up the telephone. She dialed the number and held the phone to her ear as she waited anxiously for the person on the other end of the line to pick up. Her shoulders slumped and just as she was about to hang up she heard a click and a deep voice said "Hello?" she almost squealed in delight before she caught herself.

"Hello, Acheron?" she asked, just to be sure she'd gotten the right person.

Her reply was a chuckle and him saying "That would be me, who is this?" he already knew, but she didn't need to know that.

Maya took a breath before replying "It's me, Maya Carter, the girl you met last night at Sanctuary?" she hoped that he remembered her, she really didn't want the embarrassment of him forgetting her when it had only been a day since they'd met.

Acheron frowned when he sensed her anxiety and embarrassment, he wondered why she didn't think he remembered her. He recalled every detail of her face instantly, but then he shook his head to shake off the image and instead said into the phone "I remember you, Maya" the way he said her name sent a shiver down her spine and made her tingle in all the right places.

She shivered before trying to sound casual as she spoke "I was wondering if you would be up for dinner tonight, if you're not to busy?" she really hoped that she hadn't sounded desperate. She really didn't want Acheron to think she was only interested in him for his body, even though he had a really great body, she would be the first to admit that. Maya shook her head to clear her babbling thoughts before adding "I hope that wasn't too forward of me" she truly hoped it wasn't too forward.

Acheron smiled slightly as he heard her rambling thoughts before he assured her "That wasn't forward at all" he then added "I'm free for dinner if you are" he smiled, already knowing she would say.

Maya almost screamed in joy but managed to contain herself. Barely. She smiled brightly even though she knew Ash couldn't see it, then she said with a slight note of laughter in her voice "Of course I'm free, I am the one who asked you, remember?"

He chuckled at that "Of course" he replied easily.

She giggled before asking "How does 6 o'clock in the afternoon sound?"

Acheron smiled on the other end of the line as he answered her "It sounds great, where should we meet?"

Maya smiled widely and said "I know this great Italian place, I can't remember the name though, so how about we meet at Pandora's Box and I'll show you the way?" she prayed he wouldn't back out now.

Ash smiled as he assured her "I'll be there, so I guess bye until then?" he smiled as he waited for the inevitable reply.

She beamed and said brightly "Bye until then!" she then hung up at the same moment Ash did.

Maya waited a moment before cheering in delight and then dancing around the room in joy. She knew that she'd just broken up with Brad, but she didn't care at that point! The last thing she needed was to start thinking him again. And what's the best way to forget an ex? Why, get a new boyfriend, of course! Maya giggled as she made a b-line for her closet. Time to pick out something for her date.

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General Zargon: Finally done!!-does the cancan-

Ryuuketsu:-rolls eyes- the readers are going to kill you for taking so long

General Zargon: I know -ducks behind a brick wall- R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ryuuketsu: yeah, R&R


	4. Drinks and Chatting

General Zargon: The long-awaited 4th chapter!!! 

Ryuuketsu: just start the chapter

General Zargon: -ignores muse- I had originally been planning on making this a Buffy crossover, but I changed my mind. I might make a spin off story about that, but for now I'm focusing on this story.

Ryuuketsu: The author does not own the Dark-Hunter series, Sherrilyn Kenyon does

Aimee hid her smile as she listened to Charity talk about how the date had been going so far. She barely managed to restrain her outbreak of laughter when her friend told her how she'd dragged the Omegrion's mediator into a women's lingerie store. She snickered, though she shut up once she saw the look Savitar was sending her, it was a look that clearly said 'Keep laughing and die'. She wisely chose to shut up. Aimee turned her attention back to her friend and looked at her sympathetically when Charity told her the price of the nightgown she'd seen in the store. She reached across the bar and patted her hand comfortingly as she said consolingly. "Just think, now you'll something to look forward to getting on your birthday." Savitar snapped out of the daze he'd been in and listened closer to the conversation.

Charity managed a wane smile for Aimee before she sighed sadly and admitted. "I don't think that anyone could save up that much money by my birthday. Plus, I don't want anyone to spend that much money on me." Sav looked at Charity with an unreadable expression on his face.

Aimee felt bad for her human friend. She noticed the expression on Savitar's face, but ignored it in favor of telling Charity. "It's okay, Char', I'm sure everyone would gladly chip in to buy the nightgown if you really wanted it." she noticed that Charity's drink was empty and promptly got her another one.

Charity smiled gratefully at Aimee as she took a sip of her fresh drink. She sighed as she looked back at Aimee and said. "No way would I ever be worth that much money, not even if I was the wife of some really rich guy." she sighed again before looking at her watch. She squeaked in shock as she looked at the time. She hurriedly pulled out the money to pay for their drinks as she said quickly. "I have to get going, Aimee, have to feed Rage and everything. See ya later!" she was about to hand Aimee the money when the bearswan stopped her.

Aimee looked Charity in the eye and said slowly. "The drinks are on the house, consider it an early Birthday present." she smiled at the grateful look in Charity's eyes after she said that.

Charity grinned at Aimee as she said. "Thanks a lot, Aimee, I'll be sure and get you something extra nice for Christmas." they both laughed at that before Charity turned to Savitar and said. "See you later, Sav." she grinned before standing up on her tippy toes and kissing Savitar on the cheek. She grinned at them both before running out of Sanctuary as fast as she could.

Savitar looked after Charity and then looked back at Aimee. After a moment he spoke up. "What was that about?"

Aimee contrived to look innocent as she answered. "What do you mean?"

Sav just gave the bearswan a look. Aimee finally gave in and grudgingly admitted. "One of Charity's friends, Marie, won a trip to Greece. I'm guessing that Charity wants to see if there are any messages from her, plus she probably has to feed that pet wolf of hers." Sav got a pensive look on his face that caused a tingle of fear to run up Aimee's spine. She looked suspiciously at Savitar and wondered what, exactly, he was planning.

Savitar heard Aimee's thoughts and grinned innocently at her before he vanished.

He had to go see a man about a God.

Charity huffed as she approached her door and inserted the key. She opened the door only to be tackled by an enthusiastic wolf. Rage wagged his tail happily as he licked Charity's face. Charity laughed before she finally managed to push the heavy wolf off of her. "Easy there, Rage." she laughed as she got to her feet and walked into the kitchen, "I swear you act just like a puppy." she smiled teasingly at the wolf before reaching into the refrigerator and pulling out a pack of lunchmeat and some low-fat chocolate yogurt. She walked into her bedroom and turned on her computer before sitting down on the bed and opening the package of lunchmeat.

She pulled a piece of the meat out and gave it to the wolf sitting at her feet. Rage gobbled up the meat eagerly and then returned to looking up at Charity with puppy-dog eyes. She easily gave in and wound up giving him four more pieces of lunchmeat before she put her foot down and returned the lunchmeat to the refrigerator. Charity smiled as she walked back into her bedroom and sat down in her computer chair. She opened up her chocolate yogurt as she logged onto her IM and checked to see if she had any messages. She smiled as a message popped up the second she logged in.

Sundown: Hey Char'! How ya doin?

Charity giggled as she typed a reply. She was just about to click 'enter' when another message popped up.

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): Hey Char'! Hey Sunny!

Charity: Hey you two! Guess what?

Sundown: What?

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): Yeah, what?

Charity: I went on a date with that hunk I told you about the other day!

Michelangelo(not a turtle!):-whistles- Nice, did you have fun?

Sundown: This guy put any moves on you?

Charity: I had a great time! And it was more like me putting moves on him -lowers head in shame- I used the most awful pick-up lines you've ever heard. Someone kill me please! I resorted to awful puns!

Sundown: What lines did you use?

Charity: "Somebody get some ice because this guy is hot!" That's the only one I'm willing to tell you

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): Ouch! -winces in sympathy-

Sundown: Yeah, ouch! How did this guy take it?

Charity: He was surprisingly cool about it, even after a called him a hunk of salty goodness! -bangs head on desk-

Sundown: -looks sympathetic- Poor you, Char', glad to know he took it well

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): Good for him, if he hadn't me and Sunny would have had to come over there and kill him!

Charity: -smiles- Thanks guys! By the way, Maya met this really cool Goth guy at Sanctuary

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): Really? What's his name?

Sundown: Yeah, tell us all the dirty details!

Charity: Well, according to Maya his name is Acheron and he's visiting friends in New Orleans

Sundown: Really? Did he get your seal of approval?

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): Yeah, tell us if he did!

Charity: He definitely got my seal of approval, you guys should have seen the way him and Maya hit it off!

Sundown: Great! Now all he needs is Marie's seal of approval and then he's set!

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): Some guy getting Marie's seal of approval? -snorts- That'll be the day

Charity: Hey! She's not that hard to impress!

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): -disbelieving look- She thought that the Jurassic Park movies were too tame!

Sundown: -shocked look- You think that's bad? She thought that the Nightmare on Elm Street movies weren't scary enough!

Charity: Okay, okay! You guys made your point!

Sundown: Good, but anyway, you get any word from Marie yet?

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): Yeah, she having a good time in Greece?

Charity: Don't know yet, I'm still waiting for her to call or e-mail me

Sundown: Uh oh, I'm gonna be late for work if I don't get going soon, sorry I can't stay and chat longer -apologetic look-

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): Same for me. My older brother is yelling at me to get my ass to work again -sheepish look-

Charity: It's okay you guys. You both better get to work, and I better get to studying. Major test tomorrow.

Michelangelo(not a turtle!): Good luck on the test tomorrow, Char'

Sundown: Yeah, good luck Char'!

Charity: Thanks you guys!

Michelangelo(not a turtle!) has signed out.

Sundown has signed out.

Charity has signed out.

Charity sighed as she turned towards her books. "Better get started." she muttered to herself as she grabbed the first book and opened it to the assigned page, occasionally eating a spoonful of her low-fat chocolate yogurt. Rage looked at Charity with a loving expression on his furry face before he trotted over to her and laid himself down on her feet. He snuggled down further when she absently reached down to stroke his ears. Charity smiled as she looked down at Rage, who had taken it upon himself to become her personal foot-warmer. She shook her head with a smile before turning her attention back to studying for the big test.

General Zargon: Chapter 4 finally done!!!!!!-does the Macarena-

Ryuuketsu:-rolls eyes- The author's offer for reviewers to submit ideas for scenes is still open. So if you have a scene idea, please feel free to mention in a review

General Zargon: R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ryuuketsu: yeah, R&R


	5. Interlude: Maya and Acheron

General Zargon: Chapter 5!!!!!!-does a victory dance- 

Ryuuketsu: Make out your will, because I think I see an angry mob coming towards the house.

General Zargon: What? -looks out window- oh dear sweet mother of Archon! -hides in closet-

Ryuuketsu: The author does not own the Dark-Hunter series or anything associated with it, thank the gods.

Maya nervously shifted as she waited for Acheron to arrive. She stood outside Pandora's Box dressed in an emerald colored, long-sleeved t-shirt, and dark blue jeans. A brown leather jacket over the t-shirt and low-heeled brown leather boots completed her look. She watched as women and men walked into the store and came out with bags, and given the nature of the store, she decided she really didn't want to know what was in the bags. She took a deep breath and then let it out as she looked around anxiously. She shifted again and looked down at her watch worriedly. "Just a few more minutes" she told herself as she glanced at her watch again. Maya looked down at her clothes and wondered if she was underdressed or overdressed. She debated about this for a few minutes before pushing it out of her mind since she didn't have time to run back to her house and change.

She sincerely hoped that Acheron hadn't stood her up, she didn't think she could take it if he had. Maya bit her lip anxiously as she glanced at her watch again. Just as she was about to give up and go back to home for a good cry, a deep, seductive voice spoke up behind her. "Am I late or are you planning on standing me up?" the voice had a distinctly amused tone to it.

Maya spun around and gaped at the site of Ash leaning casually against the brick wall. She looked at his tight leather pants and Godsmack t-shirt that clung to his muscular chest and his abs like a second skin. She tried not to let her gaze linger to long on the area below his waist. He had a black leather jacket on over his t-shirt. A pair of wrap-around shades hid his eyes and completed his look. She snapped back to reality at Ash's chuckle and promptly blushed. She shuffled her feet and said nervously. "Sorry, it was just for a minute there it looked like you wouldn't come." she smiled sheepishly. She glanced around before looking back at Ash with a small smile as she asked. "Ready for some lunch?"

Ash smiled gently at Maya before saying. "I'm not very hungry, but I'd be willing to sit still while you eat, if you want." he made it sound like a statement of fact instead of a question.

Maya smiled brightly as she nodded and motioned for Ash to follow her before she said. "The Italian place I told you about is this way, so if you'd follow me sir." she held her arm out teasingly with a grin on her face. Ash smiled in amusement as he threaded his arm through hers and allowed her to lead him to the restaurant she had in mind.

While they waited to be seated Maya became acutely aware of people staring at them. 'Probably wondering how a girl like me got a date with Mister-I'm-So-Sexy-It-Should-Be-Illegal.' she thought sourly, taking a moment to glare at some of the women trying, and failing, to discreetly ogle Acheron.

Ash frowned at Maya's thoughts before a waitress popped up and led them to a secluded table. He noticed Maya trying not to think too hard about whey the waitress thought they would need a secluded table. Once they were seated and given menus the waitress left, but not without one last ogle at Acheron.

Maya concentrated on her menu and tried to decide what to order, but her eyes kept straying to Ash, who for all appearances seemed completely relaxed. She inwardly frowned as she tried to figure out how he looked so calm with so many people staring at them. Probably used to it, she decided as she went back to looking at her menu, not really looking at the things listed.

Ash mentally sighed as he heard Maya's thoughts. He glanced at his menu, already knowing he wasn't going to order anything, and then looked back up at Maya. He mentally sighed again before looking up as the waitress came back to the table. Maya ordered some spaghetti and meat balls with a Diet Coke. Ash just ordered a plain water. As they waited for Maya's food to arrive they began to make small talk. After a few minutes of idle conversation, Maya gathered up her courage and asked Ash in a quiet tone. "So, do you have any relatives?" she smiled shyly at Ash as she began ripping her napkin into shreds, anything to keep her mind off her embarrassment at asking such a personal question.

Acheron took a sip of water as he tried to think about how to answer without raising suspicion. He waited another moment and then answered, much to Maya's relief. "My father is dead. My mother is still alive, but we don't talk anymore. My sister died a long time ago, and my brother hates me, for some reason." he took another sip of water, barely keeping it down.

Maya felt terrible about digging into his private life so she apologized quietly. "I'm so sorry." she remained silent after that and quietly ate her food. She mentally called herself a million kinds of idiot for prying and hoped that Ash didn't think she was too nosy.

Ash could have kicked himself as he heard Maya's thoughts, he hadn't meant to upset her. He hurried to assure her, "It's alright, it doesn't bother me anymore." he smiled, making sure to banish his fangs, as he sent his power to soothe her. He mentally sighed with relief when Maya smiled tentatively back at him from behind her glass of Diet Coke.

The next hour was spent making small talk and just peacefully chatting as Maya finished her food and they debated about where to go next. Maya looked at her watch and barely contained her shock as she read the time. 9:13. She gulped and then looked back up at Acheron and said sheepishly, "Sorry, it looks like it's getting too late to do anything else. Maybe some other time?" she smiled hopefully as she finished off her Diet Coke and waited for his answer.

Ash smiled as he responded, "Sure, call me when you have time, okay?" he stood up and stretched, causing his shirt to draw taunt over his muscles, and causing women to drool and swoon. He smiled as he pushed his chair back in and politely pulled out Maya's chair, causing her to blush and stand up rather quickly. He pushed her chair back in and waited for her to regain her senses.

Maya wondered how she was still conscious, seeing as all the blood in her body had rushed to her head. She smiled tentatively and hesitantly put her hand in the crook of Ash's elbow. She looked around the street as they exited the restaurant, wondering if they had time to do anything else. Ash glanced down at Maya as he heard her thoughts and commented idly, "I think it's about time we bring this date to a close, don't you think?" he smiled as he looked down at her through his shades.

She blinked at Ash's comment before smiling as she replied, "I agree, so I'll see you again sometime?" she couldn't quite keep the hopeful note in her voice hidden. She blushed furiously and lowered her head in embarrassment, only to look up in surprise at Acheron's answer.

"I would be glad to go on another date with you, why don't you call me when you have some free time and we'll work something out?" he smiled gently at Maya when he finished and waited for her reaction, which he got almost immediately. Maya threw her arms around Ash's waist before she could stop herself and held onto him tightly, scarcely believing that someone as handsome as Acheron would want to go out on another date with her. When she relieved that she'd hugged Ash in public she immediately let go and blushed profusely.

She tried to cover up her embarrassment by coughing and answering, "I'd be happy to, so have a nice night!" before she could lose her nerve she raised up on her toes and kissed his cheek quickly, and then wasted no time in running towards her house, blushing profusely all the way. With her back turned she didn't see Ash raise his hand up to his cheek in wonder and stare after her silently for a long while before turning and walking away with a smile on his face.

He would most definitely be eager to take that call.

General Zargon: I am so sorry that this chapter took so long, but I'm bad at writing these sort of chapters and I had a severe case of writer's block to top it all off.

Ryuuketsu:-holds up sign that says "Don't you believe it!"-

General Zargon:-sees sign- That's it! -pulls out trusty shotgun-

Ryuuketsu: eep! -runs away- R&R so he won't kill me!!

General Zargon: R&R!!!!!!!! -runs after muse- Die!!!


	6. A Dangerous Rescue!

General Zargon: Chapter 6!!!! 

Ryuuketsu: Just start the story before the angry mob storms the house.

General Zargon: Got it!! Please enjoy the chapter and don't kill me!

Ryuuketsu: The author does not own the Dark-Hunter series, Sherrilyn Kenyon does.

Charity slid onto the bar stool with a happy sigh, glad to have completed her classes for the day. She nodded to Aimee and smiled gratefully when the bearswan handed her a cold drink. She looked at her watch and groaned at the numbers staring almost tauntingly back at her. 7:32 pm. Just great. She looked down at the bar miserably as she continued taking sips of her drink.

Aimee watched Charity with a frown on her face before she asked her friend. "Rough day?"

Charity nodded as she told Aimee. "I had a really tough test today, and I'm almost sure I failed." she looked down at her drink and then threw it back and gulped down the remaining contents of the glass.

The bearswan winced sympathetically and reached across the bar to pat Charity's hand. Aimee smiled gently at her friend as she said. "I'm sure you did fine," seeing Charity's doubtful look Aimee changed the subject. "Well, how about telling me what you thought of your date?" she smiled at seeing Charity almost immediately perk up and she gave herself a mental pat on the back.

Charity leaned forward and whispered to Aimee as if she were imparting some great secret. "I think he's the hottest man I've ever seen, on paper or in real life." they both giggled at that, drawing some curious looks from some of the other patrons, before Charity continued. "I can't say much about his personality, but from what I saw I think he's funny, though he did force me to watch Jaws." she pulled a face at that while Aimee smothered her laugh. "Other than that, I like him," seeing Aimee's raised eyebrow she added, "A lot."

Aimee smirked at her friend's admission. She thought for a moment before saying. "Well, if nothing else you know he hates shopping for women's lingerie, which is pretty ironic considering most men love it." the last was said as an after thought and utterly reduced Charity into a pile of giggles.

After recovering from her laughter, Charity replied breathlessly. "Well, I think we can pretty much say that that man isn't anything like most men." she had no idea just how true those words were.

Aimee glanced around at the remaining clientele and then looked back at Charity with a smile. "Well, since things look pretty slow tonight, do you want me to walk you home?" she made the offer casually, not wanting Charity to feel pressured.

Charity looked at her watch and nearly cursed out loud. 8:27. She glared at her watch for a minute before looking up at Aimee gratefully. She stood up and shrugged on her coat as she said. "Thanks, I don't think I want to walk home alone tonight." she didn't know why she felt that way, but she wasn't about to second guess her instincts.

Aimee nodded and smiled back as she shed her apron and stashed it under the bar. The bearswan retrieved her own coat and put it on as she walked up to Charity and smiled. She followed Charity out of Sanctuary and they both walked down the street towards Charity's house. Aimee tugged her coat tighter around her body and glanced around alertly. She'd heard rumors of an Arcadian wolf pack that had recently entered the area, and she didn't want to run into them while Charity was with her.

Charity shivered as a bad feeling crept up her spine. She frowned as the bad feeling stayed with her as she and Aimee rounded a corner, she glanced over at her friend and noticed she was looking around nervously, as though waiting for someone to jump out at them. Charity shivered again as they waited for the light to change so they could cross the street. She didn't know what the feeling represented, but she had a feeling that something important was going to happen and that she and Aimee would be in the middle of it. She tugged her coat tighter as she and Aimee hurried across the street and continued walking.

They had just approached another street when the sound of voices reached them. Charity and Aimee both frowned as they cautiously approached the alley that the voices were coming from. Both women looked slowly around the corner and caught sight of two men who appeared to be having a disagreement. Aimee could have cursed at that moment, being what she was she could smell that both men were Arcadian wolves, even if both men's handsome looks hadn't given them away. She looked at Charity and immediately saw that her friend wouldn't move until she heard what the Arcadians were talking about. The bearswan resigned herself to eavesdropping as she turned her attention to the wolves conversation.

The Arcadian wolf to the right had auburn hair that reached his collar and ocean blue eyes that were currently narrowed. He was dressed in faded jeans and a plain black t-shirt with a denim jacket over it. To complete the look he had on a pair of snakeskin boots. He was leaning against the wall of the alley as he told the other Arcadian. "I'm sure that there is a pack of Katagaria wolves in this city."

The Arcadian wolf to the left had dark brown hair with blonde streaks through it and hazel eyes. He was dressed in black jeans and a black long sleeved shirt with a brown leather jacket over it. He had on black biker boots. He was currently glaring at the Arcadian leaning against the wall as he retorted. "Well, Thomas, either they left five seconds before we got here, or they never were here in the first place."

The other Arcadian, Thomas, narrowed his eyes further in anger as he stated. "They're here alright, we just haven't seen any, that's all." he growled at the other Arcadian as he continued. "Anyway, this is only the first night we've been here, I'm sure we'll see those damn Katagaria wolves soon." he curled his lip when he said "Katagaria".

The brown haired Arcadian rolled his eyes in disgust as he planted his hands on his hips and said. "I don't care if they're just around the corner, I'm going to get back to the pack and take out some of this pent up anger on the slaves." he noticed Thomas' flashing eyes and added. "Don't take that attitude with me, we'll go hunting tomorrow night, see if we have better look then."

Thomas relaxed and nodded his head, mollified for the moment. "Yeah, I could deal with just knocking around the slaves, it's what they're there for." he said, turning and walking down the alley beside the other Arcadian.

After a moment to make sure both men were gone, Charity burst out. "Did you hear that?!" she fairly shook with anger at the thought of what those two men would do, though she was confused about what some of the words the men had used. Katagari? What was that? She shook her head and turned her attention back to what she had understood of the conversation.

Aimee winced as she pleaded with Charity. "Please, keep your voice down, they might be able to hear you." Though she understood Charity's rage at what the two Arcadians would do once they got back to their pack. She felt sympathy for whoever the "slaves" were, but she knew she couldn't take on an entire pack of Arcadians by herself.

Charity seethed in anger as she whispered furiously to Aimee. "We have to follow them, even if we can't do anything ourselves the least we can do is find out where their going so we can call the police." she immediately began walking down the alley, following the path the two Arcadians had taken, not giving Aimee the time to object. The bearswan followed after Charity and was about to plead for her to have some common sense when she saw the look on Charity's face, it was the look her friend wore when she was determined to do something, the hell with whoever tried to stop her. Aimee ground her teeth in frustration as she fought the urge to growl. She hurried after Charity and prayed that they got out of this intact.

They followed the two men quickly and as quietly as possible, though Aimee had secretly shielded them both from detection as best she could. The two Arcadians led them to a seemingly abandoned warehouse, Charity and Aimee watching as they both entered.

Charity looked around before whispering to Aimee. "Come on, this might be our only chance." she made to walk towards the warehouse, only to be brought up short by Aimee's restraining hand. She looked at Aimee angrily as she hissed. "What is it?" she tugged at her arm in a futile attempt to free herself.

Aimee looked at Charity and whispered urgently. "Okay, we followed those two guys and we found where their hiding out, can we go now? You said we'd only follow them." she looked anxiously towards the warehouse and knew it was only a matter of time until one of the Arcadians inside sensed her.

Charity looked at Aimee with horror as she whispered in shock. "You would leave somebody at the mercy of those two men?" Charity scowled when Aimee didn't answer. "Fine, I'll go in alone." she jerked her arm out of Aimee's grip and crept towards the warehouse.

Aimee growled lowly as she followed Charity towards the warehouse. No matter how much she was against going into an Arcadian wolf den, she wouldn't abandon her friend. She felt dread pooling in her stomach and it took tremendous force of will to keep going as they approached the warehouse.

They, surprisingly, made it into the warehouse without incident. Both of them scarcely breathed as they ducked behind a crate and looked around. There were about 27 Arcadians scattered around the main room of the warehouse, 13 women and 14 men, including the two Arcadians they had originally followed. All the Arcadians there were exceptionally handsome, thought that wasn't surprising to Aimee. It was rare to see an ugly were-hunter, seeing as both Arcadians and Katagaria valued beauty above all else, and ugly were-hunters were quickly killed at birth. Aimee discreetly sniffed the air and detected the scent of blood coming from a hidden door that she guessed led down to a basement.

She tugged on Charity's sleeve and motioned for her to follow as the bearswan kept low to the floor and made her way towards the door to the basement. Charity looked around as she followed Aimee towards a door and she detected a faintly coppery scent that made her sick to her stomach. She kept low to the floor as they made it to the door without incident, though they were still on high alert as they crept at an agonizingly slow pace down the stairs.

When they finally made it to the bottom of the stairs and looked around it took every ounce of Charity's self-control to keep from making a sound. The scent of blood was thick in the air, and a large quantity of it stained the floor, some of it still fresh. There were manacles attached to chains that connected to the floor in the middle of the room, though what nearly had Charity retching was the fact that those manacles had wrists and ankles in them. Two bodies laid close together, while another one laid further away. All three bodies were obviously male, and they all wore nothing but bloody jeans.

Charity gulped and tried to breathe shallowly as she cautiously approached one of the bodies. She didn't look to see if Aimee followed her, her entire focus on the body she approached. When she got within 5 feet of the body, she noticed that he was breathing shallowly, almost imperceptibly. Charity quietly gasped, then realized her mistake when a pair of eyes shot up to look at her. The man she'd been approaching shifted to shield the other, still apparently unconscious, man with a snarl at her. She gulped as she continued looking the man in the eye as she slowly approached. 'He has black eyes.' she noticed distantly, before snapping back to reality when the man snarled at her again. She restrained herself from running to check on him when she noticed the fresh blood flowing from wounds in his back, instinctively sensing that he would attack if she did that.

She took a breath to steel herself before approaching the man again, her voice a soothing whisper. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, me and friend followed two men here so we could help you. I can't help you if you don't let me, so don't attack me, okay?" the man still watched her warily, but he didn't snarl or make a move to attack as she approached. She smiled softly as she knelt beside the man and examined his manacles, talking soothingly all the while. "That's it, it's okay. Me and my friend are here to help you, so try and not move around to much, okay? Good, now hold still while I try and see if I can get these chains off of you and the other two guys down here." she looked at the man's face and only then did she get a good look at his features.

His honey blond hair streaked with light brown ended at his slim hips, and his eyes were so black she could hardly distinguish the pupil from the iris. He had golden skin that seemed to beg to be caressed, even when he was bleeding all over the place. His eyes were narrowed in suspicion and his muscles were tensed up, prepared to defend himself if she made a threatening move. He leaned over to better shield the man next to him, even though the movement sent waves of pain radiating from his back. He ground his teeth together a stilled, though he kept a wary eye on the human who claimed to be there to help him and the other two.

Charity caught the glint of something around the man's neck and she squinted in order to see what it was, only to lean back in shock when she managed to make out it's shape. It was a shimmering silver collar, though it looked to be very fragile. She bit her lip to keep from making to much noise and instead whispered urgently to her friend. "Aimee, get over here, quick! They put collars on these poor men!" she turned her attention to the collar and tried to find the clasp on it.

Aimee, who had for the most part been silent, walked quickly over to kneel beside Charity. She sucked in her breath sharply when she saw what Charity had meant when she'd said collars, and indeed they were collars, metriazo collars to be exact. She hesitated before asking Charity, "Do you have anything we can use to pick the locks on these manacles?" if they were going to do this then they might as well go all the way with it, she decided, as she watched Charity search herself for something that could be used as a lock pick.

Charity searched herself as thoroughly as she could before muttering a triumphant, "Ah-hah!" she noticed Aimee's bewildered look and held up the hairpin she'd pulled from her hair. Her hair fell down her shoulders without the hairpin to hold it up, but she didn't care at the moment. Both women smiled before Charity straightened out the hairpin and leaned over the manacle she'd been examining, inserting the make-shift lock pick into the key hole while she did.

Everything was quiet except for the steady sound of Charity wiggling the lock pick around in an attempt to unlock the manacle encasing the man's wrist. After a few minutes that seemed like hours to the three who were conscious, the sound of a lock clicking sounded through the room. Charity, Aimee, and the black-eyed man stared in shock at the open manacle before he lifted his hand free of it with lightning speed. Charity and Aimee beamed happily before Charity went to work on the manacle trapping the man's left foot.

Aimee frowned as she ran her hand through her blonde hair and then smiled as she found what she was looking for. Another hairpin. She grinned as she straightened out the metal and then grabbed the man's right foot, inserting the hairpin before the man had time to react. Within minutes of Aimee and Charity working together at the man's chains, they had him free. Aimee stood up and walked around to the unconscious man that the black-eyed man had been protecting. The bearswan knelt down and went to work on the manacle holding his left wrist. 'Well,' she thought wryly, 'This wasn't what I imagined would happen when I offered to walk Charity home.' she shook her head before turning her attention back to the lock she was picking.

Charity smiled brightly at the now-free man and then scowled when she focused on the metriazo collar. She reached out for the clasps of the collar and said firmly. "Let's get this damn thing off of you" the man looked strangely like he didn't believe she could get take the collar off, but that expression soon changed to shock when, with one little tug, the clasps easily parted and the collar came off. The man looked shocked as he lifted a trembling hand to his neck and felt the skin there, almost as if he didn't believe the collar had come off that easily, but his hand felt skin and he gave Charity a tentative smile. Charity beamed brightly before picking up her hairpin and going over to help Aimee with the other man's remaining two manacles, both on the man's feet. She knelt back down and went right to work, not noticing that the man they had so recently freed came with them and knelt down on one knee near the other man's side.

Two clicks sounded a few moments later and both remaining manacles fell open, Aimee and Charity each grabbing a foot and moving them from the now-open manacles. Both women smiled in triumph before turning their attention back to the last man, who was further away than the other two. They quickly made their way to him and crouched down to get to work on the manacles binding him. 'Just two more to go.' they both thought as the manacles binding his wrists fell open and they removed both his wrists from the offending metal. The manacles around the man's feet were unlocked after only a few minutes, and his feet removed from them shortly after that.

Charity stood up and smiled, then remembering that there were still collars on the other two men. She scowled as she reached down and unclasped the collar around the neck of the man they had recently freed. The collar came away easily, just like the last one, and was soon thrown into a far corner. She looked closely at the man she and Aimee had just freed and took in his features, though she couldn't see his eye color since his eyes were closed. The man had deep black hair with sunshine blond streaks that ended a little past his butt, and his skin was pale. Charity turned her attention towards the last man, having finished looking over the black-haired man.

Aside from obvious injuries, both the men she had looked closely at seemed fine, if not hungry and slightly dehydrated.

She motioned for Aimee to follow her over to the last man, she had to remove that collar after all. She knelt down and unclasped the collar quickly and tossed it into the corner where she'd tossed the other one. She looked at the man and jumped back quickly when his eyes snapped open and he lashed out at her with a fierce snarl. Both she and Aimee backed up as he struggled up to all fours and snarled at them, his brown eyes burning with anger.

"Stop, adelfos!" an unfamiliar voice shouted, causing the brown-eyed man to turn and realize that the chains were gone, along with the metriazo collar. The brown-eyed man stared in shock at his freed limbs, before looking at the owner of the voice. The black-eyed man moved to stand between Charity and his brother before continuing. "adelfos, these two women unlocked our chains and removed those damn collars, you should be thanking them, not attacking them." his chest heaved as he struggled to stay upright. Sweat poured off him in rivers, though only Aimee and his brother knew exactly why.

Charity stared at the black-eyed man in shock. His voice was a deep, soothing sound, and the fact that the brown-eyed man seemed to be listening to him made Charity thank the gods that he was there. The brown-eyed man bowed his head and stood on shaky legs as he walked over to his brother. The black-eyed man shakily smiled at Charity and Aimee as he told them. "Thank you very much for getting those chains and collars off of us, I'm very sorry my brother attacked you." his sides heaved, the effort of talking almost causing him to collapse, though he was smart enough to watch his words as long as Charity was there.

Another voice suddenly split the air, this one soft, yet firm. "Thank you's and apologies later, now we all have to get out of here." the owner of the voice was the black-haired man. He stood of slightly shaky legs, but he seemed otherwise able to stand. His light blue eyes flashed with something akin to gratitude, but it was gone before either Charity or Aimee could identify it.

Aimee took a breath before speaking up. "He's right, we have to get out of here before those guys come down here. Can any of you walk without collapsing?" both the black-haired man and the brown-eyed man nodded. The brown-eyed man looped his brother's arm around his shoulders and supported him.

Charity nodded and stated firmly. "Okay, let's go. Try not to make any noise or we're done for." they all nodded at that and began an agonizingly slow trek up the stairs, slowed down even more by the fact that they had to be as quiet as possible. They made it up to the door and Aimee looked out into the room cautiously, looking for a clear way out of there. She spotted a row of crates that would block them from sight if they crawled, but it would be slow going and she barely had enough energy left to keep she and Charity from being sensed. She took a breath and cloaked the smell of blood coming from the three Katagari with them, sweat beaded on her forehead but she held the shield as they began to crawl behind the wall of crates.

They were slow, but they managed to keep from making any loud noises that couldn't be passed off as rats. The black-eyed man had to be supported by his brother most of the way, but he kept up with the rest of them. The black-haired man was able to keep pace with Charity and Aimee, but sweat covered his skin and his breathing was slightly labored. The Arcadians in the room were blissfully unaware that their prisoners were escaping and they continued to chat normally with each other.

Charity, Aimee, and the three Katagari barely dared to breathe as they crawled towards the door at a slow pace. By now sweat was pouring off of Aimee, but she refused to drop the shield she had constructed to keep the Arcadians from smelling them. She took a shallow breath and continued crawling beside Charity, occasionally looking back to make sure that the three Katagari with them didn't fall behind. They finally made it to the door and all four of the Katagari were about ready to collapse, but they kept on going. Charity bit back her sigh of relief when they finally crawled out of the warehouse and into the open air. She waited until they were a fair distance away from the warehouse before standing up and looking back at Aimee and the others. She grinned tiredly before saying quietly, slightly scared that the Arcadians would hear them. "Well, that was fun, but I wouldn't want to do it everyday." Aimee giggled at that as she finally dropped the shield that she had constructed. The relief of not having to maintain the shield was tremendous, and she didn't bother to hold back her sigh of relief as she, too, stood up and looked back at the three Katagari they had rescued.

Both the black-haired man and the black-eyed man chuckled, and the brown-eyed man cracked a grin, though the pain all three were in was obvious. Blood seeped from the wounds on their backs, drawing Charity's attention back to the fact that they were severely injured. Charity mentally cursed herself for forgetting about their injuries, then she pulled off her jacket and walked over to press it against the black-eyed man's back in the hopes that it would slow the bleeding. She looked over at Aimee and said. "We better get these guys somewhere safe before they bleed to death," she bit her lip before saying. "The hospital is too far away, and so is Sanctuary. My place it is then." the bearswan nodded and walked over to the black-haired man, slinging his arm around her shoulder so that she could support him.

Charity led the four Katagari towards her house and mentally thanked the gods that she didn't have a roommate.

General Zargon: I tried to make this chapter extra long to make up for how long it took to get it up, so hope you like it!!!!

Ryuuketsu: I think you're just stalling

General Zargon:-eyebrow twitches- That's it!! -pulls out trusty shotgun- R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ryuuketsu: Eep! -runs away- R&R!!!!!!


	7. A Helping Hand

General Zargon: I tried to complete this chapter in time for the New Year, but somehow I think I'm going to be a little late. 

Ryuuketsu: Gee, you think? -insert sarcasm-

General Zargon: What was that? -pulls out trusty shotgun- care to say that again?

Ryuuketsu: Uh, no? -ducks behind a brick wall for cover- enjoy the chapter!

--------------------------------------------------------------------Story Start-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The room was large and circular, decked out in burgundy and gold. Opened windows spanned from the black marble floor to the gilded ceiling. The ocean could be seen and heard from all sides of the room. The room was reminiscent of an ancient sultan's tent. It was lushly decorated, with an enormous round table in the center that often made the members of the Omegrion wonder what the rest of the place looked like, but no one was stupid enough to try and find out.

Savitar sat in his chair and stared, lavender eyes glinting, at the man standing next to one of the windows. He waited for the man to recover somewhat before speaking up. "Well, now that you're sure that you're not being tortured by demons, let's get down to business." he gestured to the chairs surrounding the table and said. "Take a seat." it was more of a command than a suggestion.

The man sat down.

The man had long black hair that stopped just above his butt and strange topaz-colored eyes. He had dark skin that looked like a tan, but upon closer inspection proved to be completely natural. He blinked in confusion before looking up at Savitar and asking. "Where am I?" he put a hand to his head as if he had a headache. He blinked again as he looked more closely around the room.

The Omegrion's mediator smiled without a trace of humor as he replied. "You, my godly friend, are on Neratiti." he leaned back lazily in his chair and waited for the god in front of him to get his bearings.

The man furrowed his brow before recognition flared in his eyes and he asked. "What am I doing here?" he looked at Savitar cautiously as he crossed his arms and ankles.

Savitar expelled a breath and commented. "You don't beat around the bush, do you?" he didn't give the man a chance to reply before continuing. "You'd think you'd be a little more grateful since I went through the trouble of snatching you before the demons could, but hey, what can you do?" the man blushed. "Anyway, I'm afraid you're going to be stuck here since I can't afford to let the demons snatch you, thus there are going to be a few rules."

The man opened his mouth to object, but then stopped as he thought over his situation. He sighed heavily in defeat, resignation mixed with gratefulness showing in his eyes, before asking quietly. "What kind of rules?"

Savitar smiled as he said. "Listen up 'cause I'm only going to say this once, Zakar, rule number one..." they spent quite a bit of time going over the rules.

-----------------------------------------------------------Break------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Charity managed to get them all into her house without being spotted, though there had been a few close calls. She sighed in relief as she closed her door and turned to look at Aimee and the three Katagari. She looked at the three Katagari before saying. "I think now would be a good time for you all to introduce yourselves before I go get the first aid kit." she looked sternly at the three Katagari and tapped her foot while she waited for them to speak up.

The black-eyed man spoke first. "My name is Javion, and this is my brother, Gareth." he pointed to the brown-eyed man when he said the last part.

Gareth smiled as he raised a hand and gave a weak wave as he said, "Thanks for saving us, took a lot of guts to do that." he then lowered his head and shook out his hair. '_Kind of like a dog,_' Charity thought as she stared at the flying strands of honey blond mixed with streaks of sun. Now that she could look at Gareth in a better light she saw that his hair was just as long as his brother's, and she could also see the family resemblance.

Charity jolted back to reality when the black-haired man spoke, "My name is Dimitri." he said softly, looking around the living room as he spoke. He, Javion, and Gareth stiffened an instant before Rage came barreling in from the bedroom and jumped up at Charity, barking happily all the while. Charity laughed as she scratched the happy wolf behind the ear, earning a happy bark for her trouble. She continued scratching Rage behind the ear for a moment before she noticed that the Katagari seemed tense. She looked over at them and realized they were looking at Rage.

She blinked and then said defensively. "What? Haven't any of you seen an ordinary wolf before?" she glared at them before noticing that more blood had begun flowing from their wounds, which caused her to wince and run into the bathroom to find the first aid kit.

As soon as Charity was out of earshot the three Katagari whirled around towards Aimee. "Why is he here?" Javion demanded, pointing an accusing finger at a confused looking Rage, who was trying to figure out why there were three unknown Katagari in his mistress's living room. He sniffed curiously and merely looked more confused as he waited for his mistress to come back into the room. The Katagari pointing at him made him feel very uncomfortable.

Aimee glanced uneasily towards the bathroom where Charity was rummaging around before answering Javion in a fierce whisper. "Charity rescued him when he was just a puppy, and his name is Rage!" just then Charity came running back into the room holding the first aid kit.

Charity took a deep breath and opened the first aid kit, then began pulling out antiseptic and bandages. She bit her lip as she motioned for Javion to sit down, seeing as he seemed to be the worst off out of all of them, and then pulled out a washcloth and poured antiseptic onto it. She winced and warned him, "This is going to sting." Javion nodded and gritted his teeth as Charity went about cleaning his wounds as quickly, and as gently, as possible.

Aimee bit her lip and ran to get another washcloth, then she grabbed the antiseptic and poured a generous amount onto the washcloth. The bearswan motioned for Gareth to sit down and then set about swiftly cleaning his wounds with the ease of long practice, gained by patching up Were-Hunters when Carson Whitethunder wasn't available. She sighed as she finished doing what she could and said, "That should do it until you can get proper treatment." Gareth nodded and stood up before walking over to another chair, gingerly sitting down so as not to tear open his wounds again.

Charity smiled as she finished with Javion and told him, "That's all I can do, so you'll have to take it easy until you can get treated properly." he nodded and went over to sit on the couch beside his brother. They both sat as still as possible so they didn't injure themselves further, though they were both sweating profusely.

Dimitri sat down in front of both women without being asked, guessing that it was his turn to get taken care of. He gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound as Charity and Aimee cleaned his wounds and bandaged them as best they could. He nodded thankfully to them when they finished and said gratefully, "Thank you, I'll try not to ruin your hard work." he smiled slightly as he stood up and slowly walked over to gently sit down in the only recliner in the room.

Charity smiled slightly as she wiped her hand across her forehead and started packing away the antiseptic and bandages. She giggled slightly when Rage trotted over and flopped down on his back at her feet, not-so-subtly hinting that he wanted his belly scratched. She laughed softly and reached down to scratch Rage's belly vigorously, inwardly wondering why Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri looked so surprised. Aimee giggled slightly at the three Katagari's shocked looks, knowing that she had reacted the same way the first time Rage had rolled over at Charity's feet in front of her. It had taken her a lot of time to accept that Rage wasn't like other Katagaria.

Aimee giggled again before speaking up, "I think it's about time for all of us to go to sleep, it's been a long night for us all." the others immediately chimed in their agreement. Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri gingerly stood up and waited awkwardly to be told where they could go to sleep.

Charity bit her lip in thought as she tried to figure out where they would all sleep. She pondered over this for a few minutes before coming to a decision, "Okay, Aimee can stay in my room with me and Rage while Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri can share the guest room," she suddenly remembered that she had an audience and blushed as she finished, "That is, if you all don't mind?" she glanced around at the Katagari around her and waited for their replies.

It was Aimee who spoke first, "Yeah, that's fine with me." though she was inwardly panicking as she tried to find a way to keep Charity from finding out that she was actually an animal in human form, since all Katagaria reverted to their base forms when injured or asleep. Come to think of it, she considered it a miracle that Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri had maintained human form as long as they had.

Javion and Gareth shared a look and there seemed to be a silent conversation going on before Javion nodded and spoke up, "That's fine with us too, though just so you know, me and my _adelfos_ don't like to be woken up early." Gareth nodded in silent agreement with his brother. Dimitri just nodded and crossed his arms as he waited to be shown where the guest room was. Charity smiled and motioned for the three Katagari to follow her as she led the way to the guest room.

The guest room was a little small but still very comfortable, with a king-sized bed against the wall opposite the door and a small nightstand next to it. There was a dresser against the wall opposite the bed and the door to a small connecting bathroom next to the dresser. The room was done in earth tones, dark green carpet, slightly lighter green walls and matching ceiling, and the dresser and nightstand were oak brown. The bed had a forest green comforter and dark green pillows, the headboard being oak brown as well.

Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri stared around in awe at the room before noticing the bed and making a b-line for it, causing Charity and Aimee to laugh as all three of them sat down and started bouncing softly on it like little kids. The looks of pure joy on their faces reminded Charity and Aimee of the fact that it had probably been awhile since they had actually seen, let alone slept in, an actual bed. Charity cleared her throat to get the attention of the three men before announcing "Time for bed you three, good night and sleep tight." she smiled as she and Aimee backed out of the room and closed the door softly.

Aimee bit her lip as she and Charity walked the short way to Charity's room. She still didn't know how she was going to keep Charity from learning that she was a Katagari, and she couldn't very well stay awake the entire night, so the only solution she could think of was going to sleep after Charity and waking up before her. The bearswan mentally nodded to herself and took a breath to steel herself as Charity opened the door to her room and they both walked in.

It was going to be a long night.

-------------------------------------------------------------Story End------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

General Zargon: I am so sorry that this chapter took so long! I have this great new video game and I've been playing it nonstop for awhile, so please don't kill me! You won't get any updates if you do!

Ryuuketsu: Anyone else know how to play Digimon World Data Squad? The author's been stuck on one level for awhile now because of a stupid mistake.

General Zargon: How was I supposed to know that would happen when I clicked on the glowing ball?!

Ryuuketsu: -sigh- forget it, just R&R

General Zargon: Yeah, R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	8. Shocking Discovery

General Zargon: Chapter 8 is here! -Does the Macarena-

Ryuuketsu: Just start the damn story already!

General Zargon:-pouts- Fine, enjoy the chapter!

Ryuuketsu: The author does not own the Dark-Hunter Series, Sherrilyn Kenyon does.

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Charity's room was painted in soft tones, the carpet being a light blue color and the walls being a gentle gold. The ceiling was painted to resemble the afternoon sky, blue with white clouds seeming to float across it. The bed was spacious, a good king-size, and the comforter was light blue with dark green trimming. The bed frame itself was made of light, sturdy wood, as were the dressers and nightstand. The desk was made of a slightly darker wood, but was no less sturdy. On top of the desk sat Charity's computer, which was currently on and displaying the message 'You Have Mail!' There were a few posters around the room, most of them showing various animals, but some depicted popular bands.

Aimee looked around appreciatively as she, Charity, and Rage walked into the room. The bearswan noticed the computer and told Charity, "I think you have mail," she pointed to the computer, "You going to read it tonight?" she finished curiously.

Charity glanced at the computer and sighed before walking over to it and sitting down on her swivel chair as she clicked on the message, "I'm just going to see who it's from, and then I'm going to go to bed and hope that this was all just some bizarre dream that will be gone in the morning." she answered wearily. Aimee looked sympathetically at Charity and then walked over to see who the e-mail had been from. Both women looked at the new message and Charity broke into a smile as she told Aimee and Rage, "It's from Marie! I can't wait to read it and find out what's been happening to her in Greece!" she smiled brightly, happy that Marie had finally sent her a message.

Aimee smiled as she remembered Marie mentioning to her that she had won a trip to Greece. The bearswan smiled wider as she asked Charity, "Are you going to read it now?" she was curious in spite of herself.

The red-haired woman thought over it for a moment and then shook her head as she replied, "No, I think I'll read it first thing in the morning." she then stood up and stretched before walking over to the dresser and pulling out two pairs of pajamas, one of which she handed to Aimee, and then other she took with her into the bathroom. She changed quickly and grimaced as she saw her reflection in the mirror. To put it bluntly, she looked like hell. She shuddered lightly and pointedly turned her head away and brushed her teeth quickly. She rinsed her mouth with water and then walked back out into the bedroom. She nodded to Aimee and said, "The bathroom is all yours, just remember to put the cap back on the toothpaste." they both laughed at that before Aimee walked into the bathroom.

Charity walked over to her computer and turned it off before going over to her bed and getting in. She sighed happily as she pulled the covers over her body and felt Rage jump up and lay himself down on her feet. Evidently the wolf had decided to take up the position of her personal foot warmer again. She heard the sound of the water running from the bathroom and assumed that Aimee was brushing her teeth, and judging by the sound of the toilet flushing, taking care of any last minute business. She smiled slightly and closed her eyes to go to sleep, intending to get up earlier than usual in order to have time to read the e-mail that Marie had sent her.

Aimee walked out of the bathroom and yawned, still trying to figure out how to keep Charity from finding out that she was a Katagari. Her mind was racing as she tried to come up with a solution, even as she slid into the bed that Charity had agreed to share with her. She smiled over at Charity, even as her worries ran around her mind in circles, and said quietly, "Goodnight, Charity." she smiled when she heard the answering 'goodnight' from the redhead, and then the bearswan closed her eyes to get as much sleep as she could before she had to wake up.

Break

Charity yawned as she was startled awake by the bed suddenly shifting towards Aimee's side. Her sleep clouded mind originally thought nothing of it and she rolled over to try and get comfortable again, but her shifting caused her to tumble into Aimee. At least, she thought it was Aimee, though she was pretty sure the gorgeous blonde woman was not covered in fur the last time she'd checked. She froze as her mind tried to process what she was feeling, and her hand shook as she slowly reached behind her and felt warm fur instead of skin. Her heart seemed to stop as she scrambled away to the other side of the bed and clicked on the lamp. She gasped for breath as she turned around and prayed that she had just had a very realistic dream, but her hopes were dashed as she saw in her bed, right where Aimee was supposed to have been sleeping, a very large black bear. Fur, fangs, and claws included. She forgot to breathe for several seconds before her body caught up with her mind and she jumped out of the bed, almost getting tangled in the sheets in the process, and ran for the bedroom door.

She opened the door as quickly and quietly as she could, and then running full tilt down the hallway, only to realize once she'd gotten there that she'd left Rage in there. She gulped and mentally tried to reassure herself that Rage would be fine as long he stayed asleep and the bear didn't wake up. She turned towards the door leading the guest room and opened it, intent on tell Dimitri, Javion, and Gareth about the massive bear in her room, only to freeze at the sight that greeted her once she opened the door. There, on the guest bed, were a jackal, and two wolves. One wolf was a dark golden color with lighter gold streaks through its fur, and the other wolf was a lighter gold color, though it had a light brown spot on its left ear and right fore-paw. The jackal was pitch black with several bright golden strands scattered in its coat, giving the impression that it was shimmering where the light hit the golden hairs.

Finally, her mind decided on the most appropriate course of action and sent the signal to her lungs, resulting in her taking a deep breath and then screaming for all she was worth. Needless to say, all of the occupants of her house were woken up and were severely confused about why they had been woken up. Charity was forced to stop screaming after a minute due to lack of air, but she had managed to draw the attention of the two wolves and the jackal, which were now doing passable imitations of deer caught in the headlights.

Aimee had been startled awake by the sudden scream that ripped through the house, and the first thing she realized was that she was in her real form, and the second thing she realized was that Charity was gone. She sat up and felt a burst of panic as she hurriedly shifted into her human form and flashed some clothes onto her body before jumping out of the bed and running towards where she'd heard the scream, praying that she would be able to convince Charity that she'd just had a very realistic dream.

Back in the hallway, the two wolves and the jackal had snapped out of their shock and, figuring their cover was blown anyway, they all flashed into their human forms. Charity gave a short scream as the two wolves and the jackal transformed into Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri, respectively. Javion was apparently the wolf with the light brown spot on his left ear and right fore-paw, while Gareth was the dark gold one with lighter golden streaks through his fur. That left Dimitri as the jackal, she distantly thought, as she slowly began backing away from the doorway. She backed up a few more inches before turning around and running for her life, though she still had enough clarity of mind to head for the door.

She didn't even think to stop and put on her shoes, she just ran out the door barefoot and in her pajamas. She ran for all she was worth down the street, and she was dimly aware of the fact that if anyone saw her they would think she was a complete lunatic, but all that mattered to her at the moment was getting away from her house as fast as she could! She gasped for breath and chanced a look behind her, only to slow down uncertainly as she didn't see anyone, or _anything_, chasing her. She slowed to almost a complete stop and turned her head back to in front of her, only to choke back a scream as she looked at the person in front of her.

Somehow, Aimee had managed to get in front of her. Charity began slowly backing up as she prepared to run back the way she'd come from, only she never got the chance. Aimee saw that Charity was preparing to run again and hurriedly said, "Wait! If you'll just calm down for a moment I can explain everything!" thankfully, Charity stopped, though the redhead didn't stop looking at the Katagari like she was going to attack her. This was a start, Aimee thought, she could work with this.

Charity took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled before saying, slightly hysterically, "Explain what? The fact that you can turn into a giant black bear? Or the fact that Javion and Gareth can turn into wolves?! Of course, you could always explain how Dimitri can turn into a jackal?!" Charity had the strangest feeling of lightheadedness and she hoped fervently that she wasn't going to faint. She hadn't fainted once in her entire life, and she certainly wasn't going to start now, even if it probably would have been justified under the circumstances.

Aimee winced and spoke as soothingly as she could to Charity, "Yes, I'll explain all of that, just please keep your voice down. Why don't we go back to your house and discuss this like civilized people?" she slowly approached her slightly hysterical friend and gently turned her around, relieved when Charity didn't flinch. She gently guided Charity back towards the young woman's house, wondering frantically how she was going to explain all of this.

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General Zargon: Sorry it took so long to complete this chapter, but my Muse has dried up.

Ryuuketsu:-lying on the ground panting- water…please…water

General Zargon: You see? I'll try and finish the next chapters as quickly as possible, but try to be patient –hands Muse a glass of water-

Ryuuketsu: Thank you! –Grabs water and gulps it down-

General Zargon: R&R!!


	9. The Explanation

General Zargon: Here is chapter 9! Sorry for the long wait, but my muse is dehydrated.

Ryuuketsu:-panting-…water…please…give…me…some…water…-returns to panting-

General Zargon:-hands Muse a glass of water- See? Enjoy the chapter!

Ryuuketsu:-grabs glass of water and chugs it- The author does not own the Dark-Hunter series, Sherrilyn Kenyon does.

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Aimee bit her lip as she tried desperately to think up an explanation that Charity would accept, and that wouldn't get her killed. She looked over at the silent form of Charity, who was currently sipping some coffee and looking over her cup at the nervous bearswan. Aimee took a breath and asked Charity, "What do you want to know about first?" she figured it would be best to take things slow at first.

Charity paused and then thought; what _did_ she want to know first? The obvious would be why Aimee, Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri all transformed into animals, but then it begged the question of, how had Javion, his brother, and Dimitri been captured by those men in the first place if they could transform into dangerous animals? She frowned and then finally decided on a simple one, "How can you transform into a bear, and how come Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri could transform into animals too?" she was almost afraid of the answer.

Aimee sighed and toyed with her own cup of lukewarm soda as she thought of the best was to phrase her explanation. Finally, she took a deep breath and began, "Javion, Gareth, Dimitri, and I are what are called Katagaria, or Katagari for singular. We are animals who can take human form, though this ability is limited since we revert to animal form when asleep or injured, and those men we followed are what are called Arcadians, or just Arcadian for the singular. They are humans who can take on animal form. Katagaria and Arcadians have been at war for thousands of years, ever since our species were created." She looked up at Charity a few moments after she finished speaking, hoping desperately that she wouldn't see the look of fear so many humans had after finding out about her world.

Charity looked thoughtful, which both surprised and relieved Aimee, and after a moment Charity asked, "How did the Katagaria and Arcadians get created? Why is your kind at war with them anyway?" she looked hopelessly confused, which was understandable considering what had happened to her recently.

Aimee breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That is a long story, so feel free to stop me if you get confused," she waited until Charity nodded before she began her story, "It all started with the cursed race of Apollites, those are the children of Apollo, the Greek god of the sun. Apparently, they got themselves cursed when an Apollite queen ordered Apollo's mistress at the time killed, though they were supposed to make it look like a wild animal attack. Needless to say, Apollo found out about it and, in a fit of rage, cursed the entire race to die slowly and horribly on their 27th birthday, the same age Apollo's mistress was when she was killed. He also banished the entire race from daylight, so he would never have to look upon them again and be reminded of their treachery, along with cursing the race with the traits of animals, fangs and piercing eyes and such.

A couple thousand years after this happened; an Apollite woman married a king named Lycaon and gave birth to two sons, though the king didn't know she wasn't human, and neither were his sons. On her 27th birthday, she literally disintegrated in front of his very eyes, and that was how he found out about Apollites. He refused to let his sons suffer the same fate, so he gathered up as many Apollites and deadly animals as he could find, and began experimenting in order to find a way for his sons to survive." Unwillingly, her hands tightened around her cup as she continued, "He succeeded, and he created the first Katagaria and Arcadians, but he had no right to meddle in the affairs of the gods, and Apollo went to the Fates with his complaint. The Fates told King Lycaon to either kill his sons, or the Katagaria and Arcadians would only know strife from each other. King Lycaon refused, saying that he couldn't kill his own sons, so the Fates sent Discordia to plant mistrust between the two races. The Arcadians thought they were superior since they had human hearts, and the Katagaria quickly learned not to trust the Arcadians, since they would say one thing and do another. Mistrust quickly evolved into hate, and the two races have been at war ever since." She forcefully removed her hands from around the cup when it began making a cracking noise.

Charity nodded, even as she was in shock over what Aimee told her. Then, a thought struck her and she asked, "Is that really all that happened to the Apollites? I mean, if I knew that I was going to die at age 27, I'd do everything in my power to prevent it." Aimee looked at Charity with growing respect, and thought carefully over her answer.

The bearswan took a deep breath and told Charity, "You were right, the Apollites didn't all take that curse lying down. They found a way to work around it, mainly by taking human souls into their bodies." She nodded at Charity's horrified look and continued, "That's right, they bite humans and drain their blood along with their souls. As long as an Apollite has a human soul in their body they can continue to live on, though once they take a human soul into their bodies they stop being Apollites and become Daimons. What's worse is that if a Daimon isn't killed, the human soul dies." Aimee looked down at the table and waited to hear what Charity had to say next.

The redhead thought carefully over what she had learned, trying desperately not to go into hysterics again, before a thought struck and she looked back at Aimee as she asked, "I know this may seem off-topic, but why did you look so surprised to see Savitar with me that first time?" as she watched Aimee fidget, a dawning realization struck and she said in shock, "_Please _tell me that he isn't an Arcadian or a Katagari!" her eyes were wide as she prayed that her thought wasn't true.

Aimee hurriedly shook her head and struggled to reassure Charity, "No, no! Savitar is _not _one of us!" she hesitated before deciding not to tell Charity what the others of her kind thought Savitar was.

Charity relaxed, and then asked curiously, "Are there any other magical beings I should watch out for?" she tried to keep her tone joking, but she didn't quite manage to stop a note of worry from leaking out. She bit her lip as she silently waiting for Aimee to answer her, her hands tightly gripping her long-forgotten cup.

The bearswan thought for a moment and then said, "Well, there are a few pantheons of gods and goddesses who sometimes come down here to have some fun, and then there are the various types of demons still roaming around, but most of those can be killed by cutting off their heads." She continued, politely ignoring Charity's disgusted look, "Of course, there are also entities that we have no idea what they are, only that they are more powerful than anything we could dream of, and that should we ever meet up with one, the best bet we have for survival is to run as quickly as we can in the opposite direction and pray that we are too far beneath them to warrant them coming after us to kill us. Also, there are some humans who can trace there ancestry back to one god or another, or they could be descended from a demon." She finished speaking and merely looked at Charity, waiting to hear what the redheaded woman had to say.

Charity stared at Aimee for a few minutes before groaning and allowing her head to fall forward and land on the table with a thump. She groaned and said in a resigned tone of voice, ignoring Aimee's concerned look, "I can't believe I'm even listening to this. I should be going to the phone an calling the police on you guys by now, but instead I'm sitting here listening to stories about ancient kings, gods and goddesses, and people who can turn into animals!" the last was said in a slightly higher tone than the rest of her speech, indicating that she was still dangerously close to the edge of hysteria.

Aimee looked at the back of Charity's head and bit her lip indecisively; unsure if she should even voice what she was thinking of, but then deciding that it was either now or never. She took a breath and gently told Charity, "If this is too much for you to accept, I...well, what I mean is…-my people sort of invented a way to erase or suppress a human's memories, in case they found out about us and couldn't accept us." She plowed on, ignoring the way Charity had raised her head and was looking at her, "If you want, I could make you forget this ever happened, and you wouldn't have to know any of what I told you. You would completely forget everything that happened tonight." Before she could go on, Charity interrupted her forcefully.

"No, I don't care how much I wish that I hadn't learned about any of this, I wouldn't have you erase my memories for anything," she took a breath and continued, ignoring Aimee's confused look, "'Better to know the truth than go on living a lie,' that's what my mom always said, and in this case she's right. Please, don't even suggest messing around in my head _ever again_." She was surprised at the force of her conviction, but she deeply felt that she meant what she said.

The bearswan smiled happily at the red-haired young woman and replied, "In that case…" she smiled as she called out, "Javion, Gareth, Dimitri, you can come out now, she's not going to freak out anymore!" she smiled at the look on Charity's face as the two wolves and one jackal sheepishly shuffled out into the kitchen. She looked over at all those assembled in the rather small kitchen and suggested wryly, "I think it would be a good idea if we all went back to bed, seeing as me and Charity have some things to do tomorrow." Charity and the three other Katagaria nodded.

Charity paused halfway between standing up and sitting down as a thought struck her, and she asked Aimee, "Do your parents and brothers know that you are staying the night?"

Aimee froze as her friend asked her question, and then the bearswan groaned, cradling her head in her hands and saying pitifully, "You just had to bring that up, didn't you?" Charity and the other Katagaria burst out laughing, though Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri kept it to chuckles so as not to tear their wounds open again.

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General Zargon: Sorry it took so long to update, but I've been kind of busy, seeing as this new plot bunny attacked me a few days ago…Ah! –Is attacked by a bright pink bunny with a piece of cheese- Help!!

Ryuuketsu:-sips glass of water- don't mind him, any way, the author will finish this story, but it will be slow going until the plot bunnies leave and he can get back to writing this story.

General Zargon:-throws off pink bunny-…yeah…what he said…-pants, and then takes a deep breath- R&R!!

Ryuuketsu: R&R.


	10. Thoughts and Questions

General Zargon: Chapter 10!! Sorry for the wait, but I have so many projects going on, I couldn't really find the time to write that often.

Ryuuketsu:-gulps down glass of water- what the author means to say is, he's trying to make the chapters longer, but can't really find out how to stretch them out that much.

General Zargon:-glares at muse- shut up. –Turns to readers- anyway! Enjoy the chapter!

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It seemed like only minutes after she had gone to sleep that Charity's alarm clock was going off. The redheaded woman yawned as she sat up and sleepily rubbed her eyes. She raised her arms over her head and stretched languidly, bringing her arms back down after a moment and reaching over to switch off her alarm clock without thought, or opening her eyes. So, it came as a complete surprise when her hand came into contact with warm fur instead of her normally cold alarm clock. Her eyes snapped open and her mouth opened to scream before the memory of what had transpired the night before came rushing back to her. She took a deep breath, swallowed her scream, and reluctantly looked next to her, taking in the sight of the large black bear sprawled out on her bed. She took another breath to steel herself, and then reached, scarcely daring to breathe, over Aimee to quickly switch the alarm clock off. She returned to her side of the bed and let her held breath out in a great sigh, glad that she had just gotten that over with.

She ran her hand through her hair, slowly going over all that had happened last night in her head. She felt a hysterical laugh bubble up in her throat, but she managed to choke it down, along with the urge to burst into tears, before she woke up Aimee. She absently remembered that Aimee had told her before they had gone to bed that Katagari didn't like to be active during the day, as most were naturally nocturnal. Keeping that in mind, she got out of bed as quietly as she could and padded over to her dresser, pulling out an outfit for the day. She tiptoed into her bathroom and gently closed the door, not wanting to wake up Aimee, and then set her clothes on the counter next to her sink so they wouldn't get wet.

After making sure that her clothes for the day wouldn't get wet because of the steam or by falling off the counter onto the floor, she turned around so that her back was to the door and slumped against it wearily. She sighed tiredly and pushed herself off the door, stripping off her pajamas as she walked over to the shower. She pulled aside the shower curtain and bent down to fiddle with the knobs. She carefully turned the hot water on, sticking her hand under the faucet to gauge the temperature. Once she'd gotten the water to just the right temperature, she carefully stepped into the shower and closed the curtain.

She sighed as she allowed the water to just run over her form as she stood under the spray and rested her head on the cool tile. Her mind was whirling with thoughts, each one more hysterical than the last, as she raised her head off of the tile and grabbed the strawberry scented shampoo that was sitting on the side of the tub. After squeezing a large glob of shampoo into her hand, she closed the shampoo bottle with one hand and set it back on the edge of the tub. She started working the shampoo into her hair in order to work up a lather, and she soon found her thoughts drifting off as the monotonous motions lulled her into a sort of daze. She found herself wondering how many of her other friends were secretly animals, or able to take on animal form. She giggled as she imagined the portly campus librarian, Mr. Hamilton, as a bird. Well, she thought gleefully, he certainly has to eyes for it, and the nose! She giggled again, since Mr. Hamilton really _did _have good eyesight, since he could spot a student dog-earing pages from across the library, through three closed doors, and seven bookshelves. She smiled, but her face quickly lost its' amusement as she found herself wondering just how much of the world she really knew about, since Aimee had said that there were demons around, and some things that even her kind didn't know about. Charity groaned as she felt a headache coming on, and she shoved those worries into the back of her mind as she began rinsing out her well-shampooed hair. Once she had rinsed the shampoo out, she grabbed the conditioner and repeated the process, setting the conditioner back down on the edge of the tub once she had squeezed some out onto her hand and closed the lid. She began working the conditioner into her hair and found her mind wandering once again.

She wondered how many of the people she passed on the street every day were something other than human. She found herself thinking of all the people she went to school with, and she wondered if any of them were actually Arcadian, Katagaria, or something else entirely. She thought about the Peltiers, and wondered if they had even realized that Aimee was gone, and then she realized what a stupid question that was, since the entire family was fiercely protective of each other. She actually felt a little sorry for Aimee, since her father, mother, and brothers were incredibly protective, and it wouldn't surprise her to be told that they were thinking of putting Aimee in a nunnery. She winced as she recalled what had happened to the last man who Papa Bear had caught making eyes at Aimee. The poor idiot had had to be shipped to the emergency room minutes after he had gotten a good 'talking to' by Papa Bear and his sons. She knew that Aimee was interested in Fang Kattalakis. one of the regulars who had been coming around more often lately, and if the looks she had seen him giving the young woman were any indication, the feeling was definitely shared. She shook herself out of her musing when she realized that she had pretty much worked the conditioner into her scalp, and she hurriedly began rinsing it out her hair. Now done with her hair, she grabbed her face wash and squirted some into her hand before setting it back on the little ledge on the shower wall. She worked the gel into a lather by rubbing it between her hands, and then closed her eyes as she began rubbing it into the skin of her face. She worked the lather thoroughly into her skin, and then tilted her head up into the spray of water, her eyes still closed, in order to wash the excess lather off.

Done with her face and hair, she grabbed her red poof and began lathering it up with her ocean breeze scented Body Wash as her body kicked into autopilot and she was able to concentrate on her worries and thoughts. She bit her lip as she began running the poof up and down her left leg and started thinking about how many times she had ogled an insanely gorgeous guy in Sanctuary, and she wondered if they were Katagaria, Arcadian, Apollite, or even Daimon. She remembered Aimee telling her that Sanctuary was open to all races, including Daimon, and that as long as they didn't attack anyone or cause trouble, they were safe there. She chewed her lip uncertainly as she continued scrubbing her leg. She wondered if Mikey, or even Sundown, were actually human or something else entirely. Since she had never actually met either of them in person, she couldn't even begin to guess what animals they would probably be if they _were _Katagari or Arcadian. She shook her head to clear it before noticing that her leg had turned pink from all the scrubbing and she blushed as she rinsed that leg off and then began scrubbing her other one.

Her mind began drifting as she washed her right leg, and she found herself wondering exactly what animals the Katagaria and Arcadians could transform into, since she knew that some could transform into bears, like Aimee and her family, and some could transform into wolves, like Javion and Gareth, and she was sure that some could transform into jackals like Dimitri, so she had wonder what other animals were used to make Katagaria and Arcadians. She dimly recalled Aimee mentioning that different branches of Katagaria and Arcadians were called _patrias_. She pondered that and also remembered that the leaders of specific groups of Arcadians and Katagaria were called the _Regis_, or the leader of that group. That thought led her to the question: exactly how were sanctuaries founded? Was there someone that they could go to in order to ask to found a sanctuary? If so, how exactly did this person make it so that all the other Were-Hunters, as Aimee had told her Katagaria and Arcadians were more commonly called, knew it was an official sanctuary? She felt her temples start to throb and she hurriedly derailed that particular train of thought.

Instead, she rinsed the soap off of her now-pink leg, and began to gently wash her lower torso. As she ran the poof over her stomach, she once again started thinking about the world that Aimee dealt with every day. She wondered how the different branches of Katagaria and Arcadian settled problems with each other. Did they just fight? But if that were true, she was pretty sure that humans would have found out about them by now. Maybe they just talked it out? She thought, but then discarded that idea as she began running the poof up and down her arms. From what Aimee had told her about how stubborn males from both races were, she couldn't envision any of them just sitting down and talking out their problems without someone losing their temper and attacking someone else. If she were to be truthful, she understood that sometimes a little force was necessary to settle arguments, but she thought that the Arcadians and Katagaria took that mindset a little too far…okay; she admitted to herself, they took it way too far. She winced as she remembered Aimee telling her about whole _patrias_ that had been wiped out in all the fighting between the two races. She shook her head to clear it and prevent any headaches as she began washing her upper body, gently rubbing the poof in circles over her breasts and shoulders before rinsing off the lather and holding the poof under the water so that the excess lather would be washed off. After she was sure that all the soap had been rinsed out of her poof, she set it back where she had gotten in from, and then just stood there and let the spray of water run over her.

She sighed as she leaned forward and rested her head on the cool tile, bringing one of her hands up to rest next to her hands. She closed her eyes and couldn't help wondering how she could have possibly been taking this so calmly, when any normal person would have had themselves committed, but for some strange reason, she couldn't help thinking, '_Stranger things have happened_.' She didn't know why, but she felt like she was forgetting something important. She shook that thought off and turned her attention to the here and now, and right now she was wondering why hadn't run screaming into the night, like she had originally planned, instead of listening to Aimee's explanation, or at the very least calling the police. The thought of the police made her wonder why she hadn't called the police about the men that she and Aimee had saved Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri from like she had originally planned, though now that she thought about it, there wasn't much that human policemen could do about a bunch of human who could shapeshift into deadly animals, and apparently teleport, as Aimee had mentioned they could if they wanted to. The thought of the bearswan made her smile as she remembered all the times that Aimee had been there for her, and she remembered all the times she had called Aimee in broad daylight to complain, rant, or even just talk, and even though it had to have been hard for Aimee to have assumed human form just to talk to her and held her out with her problems.

She smiled again as she thought of how supportive Aimee had been over the time that they had known each other. The first time they had met was when Charity had thought she had flunked a crucial exam and had gone to Sanctuary to get as drunk as possible to drown her sorrows. Aimee had come over to where she had been sitting at the bar and taken her order, not saying anything about how disheveled she had looked, or how her make-up had started to run because of the few tears she had shed earlier. The bearswan had merely gotten her drink, and then started making small talk, so before they'd both knew it; they had begun talking like old friends. And the next day, when the test results for the exam came in, it had turned out that she had one of the highest scores. She had immediately gone to Sanctuary after school had ended for the day to celebrate. So, when Aimee had come to take her order, she had told the bearswan that she had passed the exam, and the two of them had spent half the night celebrating and talking. And on top of that, Aimee had refused to take her money for the drinks, saying that they were on the house since she had done so well on her exam.

They'd been the best of friends ever since.

Charity smiled fondly in remembrance as she sighed once more, debating about what she should do now that she knew about this whole other of magic and demons. She came up with several ideas; each one more ludicrous than the last, until all they served to do was make her laugh, which she thought was just what she needed. As she calmed down, she steeled herself as she straightened up, deciding that it was time she faced the world. She turned off the now lukewarm water and stepped out of the shower, shivering slightly at the sharp contrast in temperatures. She hurriedly grabbed a towel and began drying herself off frantically in the effort to get warmed up again. Once she was done drying off her body, she set about drying her hair by rubbing it quickly in the now-damp towel. She then wrapped her hair up in the towel and twisted it in order to wring out any excess water. Now done with that, she hung the towel back on the towel rack to dry as she turned back to the sink and picked up her toothbrush. Squirting a small amount of toothpaste onto the bristles, she set about brushing her teeth.

The repetitive motion lulled her into a sort of daze, which allowed her thoughts to drift off. She wondered once again about Savitar, like how much she really knew about him. She didn't know his birthday, what his last name was, where he'd been born, or even how old he really was! She frowned at that, she suspected that she would have to ask those questions straight out if she wanted answers, and she made a mental note to do so the next time she saw him. She shook herself from her thoughts and proceeded to spit out the toothpaste, rinsing off the toothbrush and setting that aside before grabbing the plastic cup she kept in the bathroom. She filled the cup about halfway full, and then drank some of it, swishing the liquid around in her mouth in order to get the remaining toothpaste out. After about a minute, she spit and then drank the remaining water, holding it in her mouth and then swishing it around. While she swished that mouthful of water around she set the plastic cup back down, and then grabbed her hairbrush. She spit once again and wiped her mouth on the hand towel hanging next to the sink. She began brushing her hair, mentally counting the strokes like her mother had taught her to.

Charity finished one side as she reached one-hundred in her mental count, and then started on the other side, finishing with that side after a few minutes, and finally starting on the back. After brushing each side of her hair and making sure that she brushed each side one-hundred times, she pulled the hair from her hairbrush and threw it in the wastebasket she had next to the toilet. She grabbed her panties from the counter and pulled those on quickly, followed immediately by a pair of blue jeans that clung to her hips and butt nicely. After buttoning up her jeans and zipping them, she quickly fastened her bra and shrugged on a bright red button-up shirt that made her green eyes stand out.

She took a deep breath and then let it out in a long sigh, all her tension seeming to go with it. She straightened up and then looked her reflection in the eye, mentally telling herself, '_You can handle this, Charity. Remember what mom always said, "The big things and life are going to come knocking eventually, Charity, there isn't anything you can do about that. It's what you do after they come that define who you really are."' _She looked in the mirror again and nodded to herself firmly as she thought, _'You're right, mom. And I'm going to make sure that I can face you and dad once I see you both again.'_ She smiled, glad that she had finally reached a resolution, and she turned away from her reflection. She straightened her back and stiffened her shoulders, preparing to face the world, or at least Aimee, Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri, to start with.

--

General Zargon: Cliffhanger! –Ducks behind brick wall to avoid the sharp pointy objects thrown at him- I know I haven't updated in awhile, but I've been pretty busy, what with working on my original book idea and everything!

Ryuuketsu: Liar. You were just researching and you know it. You haven't even started on the second paragraph yet.

General Zargon: Hey! I'll have you know that I know exactly how I want the book to go! I just don't know how to write it down yet…

Ryuuketsu:-Rolls eyes- whatever. –Turns to the readers- R&R, please. They make the author update faster.

General Zargon:-ignores muse- Yeah, R&R!!


	11. Breakfast

General Zargon: Here's chapter 11!!!!! –Does the chicken dance-

Ryuuketsu:-covers his eyes and shakes head- please, just stop. You're embarrassing yourself.

General Zargon:-pouts- fine –stops dancing- enjoy the chapter!!

Ryuuketsu: The author does not own the Dark-Hunter Series, Sherrilyn Kenyon does.

* * *

By the time Charity left the bathroom, Aimee was awake and in human form, looking as refreshed as if she had just taken a shower. The bearswan was bustling about the kitchen, accumulating a large pile of various food items, though what really caught Charity's attention was the smell of bacon and eggs. Her mouth began to water, and the smell distracted her so much that it was only after she had stepped into the kitchen that she noticed the three wolves and the jackal taking up the four chairs placed around her dining table. Charity raised an eyebrow when she saw Rage sitting in the chair closest to the food, panting away as though it was perfectly natural for a wolf to be sitting in a chair. She shook her head slowly and then turned her attention to the other two wolves. Javion was sitting a little stiffly and didn't allow his back to touch the chair, which showed that his injuries were still giving him trouble. His brother Gareth was sitting across from him, though his posture was slightly slouched. The red-haired woman frowned lightly in concern, but turned her attention to the last one at the table. Dimitri was sitting up straight, giving no indication that his wounds were bothering him, or if he was experiencing any discomfort. Charity frowned again, unsure about whether or not she should redress their wounds or just leave them be. Aimee had said that Katagaria healed faster than humans did.

Aimee noticed Charity standing in the doorway and smiled as she said cheerfully, breaking Charity from her thoughts, "Come on and grab a plate! I made plenty for everyone!" anyone could plainly see that the bearswan was in a very good mood that morning, even though most Katagaria couldn't stand being in human form before nightfall. The redhead raised an eyebrow curiously, but grabbed a plate and piled it high with bacon, scrambled eggs, biscuits, and buttered toast, plus piling another plate high with bacon for Rage. She set the plate for Rage on the floor, and set her own plate on the table in front of the chair Rage was currently occupying. She stepped back, looked Rage straight in the eye, and told him firmly, "Either you get down off that chair and eat from your own plate, or you forfeit all rights to be my foot-warmer for an entire week." Quicker than she could blink, Rage had jumped down and was eagerly devouring his plate of bacon.

Charity smiled as she sat down in Rage's recently vacated chair, but then frowned in concern when she looked up and saw the strange looks that Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri were giving her. She shrugged helplessly and held up her hands in surrender as she said, "What? He _really_ likes being my personal foot-warmer." The Katagaria merely nodded, though they did give Rage several strange looks. Charity turned her attention to her breakfast, having decided to ignore how strange the Katagaria behaved around Rage, for now anyway. She began shoveling scrambled eggs into her mouth, manners be damned, as she realized how hungry she was when the first piece of scrambled egg hit her taste buds. She noticed Aimee, Javion, Gareth, Dimitri, and even Rage looking at her in amusement, and she shrugged sheepishly, saying plainly, "I just realized how hungry I was." The Katagaria nodded once again, all of them making a mental note not to get between Charity and her breakfast.

Aimee smiled as she leaned her hip against the counter and slowly ate her own, not inconsiderable, plate of food. She giggled a bit as she watched Rage finish his plate of bacon and start pestering Charity for some of her breakfast. The bearswan smiled wider as she took another bite of her eggs and continued watching the activities going on at the breakfast table, such as Gareth trying to steal Javion's bacon, and Dimitri sneaking his toast to Rage under the table. She giggled as she finished up her plate and leaned both hands beside her on the counter as she asked Charity, "So, when are you going to read that e-mail you got last night?" at the blank look on the redhead's face, the bearswan outright laughed before telling her friend, "You know, the one from Marie?"

A look of recognition passed over Charity's face, and she immediately jumped up and ran towards her room, shouting, "Damn it! I completely forgot!" As the others followed her, Charity threw herself into her computer chair and had to frantically grab onto her desk to keep from falling unceremoniously to the floor, chair and all. She forcefully pressed the button to start her computer, and leaned back to wait for everything to properly boot up. She looked up at the sound of several snickers and saw the others standing in the doorway, excluding Rage who entered the room and trotted over to flop down on her feet, and snickering in amusement at her almost-fall. Charity scowled, giving into the urge to stick her tongue out at them before turning back to the computer imperiously, pointedly ignoring the gathered animal's renewed snickers, excepting Rage, who looked quite happy to be acting as her personal foot-warmer.

She waited impatiently for the computer to fully boot up, and when it did, she hurriedly logged on to her e-mail account. She typed in her username and password, and then leaned back slightly in order to wait for it to fully connect and display her e-mail. She absently reached down and scratched Rage behind the ears and glanced behind her, curious about the sudden silence, only to jump about a foot in the air and emit a startled yelp at the sight of Aimee, Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri standing behind her and looking over her shoulder. The Katagaria looked amused at her reaction and chuckled at her before Gareth quipped up, "Your e-mail's loaded." Charity immediately twisted back around to face the computer and promptly began deleting the junk-mail until she got to Marie's e-mail, which she doubled clicked on. She could practically feel the others' curiosity as they all waited for the e-mail to load. When the e-mail was fully displayed, the all proceeded to read intently.

_Hey, Charity!_

_Hope you've been doing good, and I'm sooo sorry that I didn't write to you sooner, but things have been really hectic since I got off the plane! First of all, the airport managed to lose my luggage, so I had to wait __**four hours**__ while they searched for it, and when they did find it, I had to wait another two hours while they filled out the proper paperwork in order to give me back my luggage, which I think is just __**ridiculous**__, since who ever heard of having to fill out thirty pages of paperwork in order to get back one suitcase?! Secondly, it had started raining really hard at some point when we were searching for my luggage, and I, in my limitless stupidity, had forgotten to pack an umbrella (I am so going to buy an umbrella on my first shopping trip, you can count on that!), and so I was stuck getting soaked to the bone while trying to figure out how to hail a cab. Seriously, it took me another forty-five minutes to find a cabby who would take American cash, and by then I just wanted to get to my hotel and fall into bed. Unfortunately, it didn't really work out that way, since halfway to the hotel, the cab blew a tire, and I had to stand in the rain__** again**__ while the cabby changed the tire (I swear I'm going to spend the entire trip sick in bed with a cold, I just know it!) and then when we finally got to the hotel, it turns out that the hotel's computer crashed, so I had to wait an hour while they dug up the printed out records of my reservation (really , it was about three o'clock in the morning by then, so by the time I get to sleep, it will already be time to wake up! I really hate my life about now) and then, __**finally**__, I got to take my luggage up to my room and dry off. After doing that, I fell onto the bed, which was really soft by the way, and slept the remaining night away._

_When I woke up the next day at about two o'clock in the afternoon, which I consider completely justified by the way, I found out that the maids in charge of preparing my room had forgotten to bring in fresh towels, but get this, I only realized that __**after **__I'd taken a shower. I basically had to drip dry while trying to squeeze out my hair with a really, really small hand towel! Can you believe my bad luck?! Then, after I was reasonably dry, I got dressed and brushed out my hair as best I could since it was still kinda wet. I decided to go for a walk around a few blocks to see what I could see, so I grabbed my purse, made sure all my stuff was in it, and then left, but the very __**second**__ I shut the door, I realized that I had left my room key inside! So, I had to go down to the front desk, tell them what happened (I also mentioned the towel situation), verify that I was who I was, and wait for them to locate a spare room key. Once I had the other room key, I stuffed it in my purse and got the hell out of there. At first, everything seemed to be going great, I saw some restaurants that looked good, so I could go out to eat and try some of the local food, and I spotted some really cool looking stores within walking distance of the hotel that I wanted to browse through. Yeah, everything seemed cool, but then my recent string of bad luck seemed to decide that it'd given me enough of a break and that it was time to have some more fun. Just as I started getting hungry, some __**punk **__ran by and grabbed my purse! I shouted for help as I wrestled with the bastard for my purse, but apparently everyone was too fucking busy to lend a hand to a hapless tourist! So I wound up chasing after the guy myself (not a smart move, I know, but I was kinda too pissed at the time to really care) and when he ran into an alley, I followed him._

_Once I had the guy cornered, since the alley turned out to be a dead end, and just as I was thinking that Lady Luck was on my side again, she decided to throw another curveball at me, and so it turned out the guy had a knife. Yeah, I can kind of guess what you're thinking now, "My God, woman, are you insane?! What in the name of the Gods possessed you to run after a guy who might be armed?!?" and I fully agree. The strange thing was, the moment he pulled the knife on me, I got really, really pissed off, perfectly understandable given the circumstances, but the moment I decided that I had had __**enough**__, the guy suddenly went flying like he'd been launched out of a cannon! My purse dropped to the ground, and I didn't think twice before snatching it up and running like hell out of the alley. I hightailed it back to the hotel room, used the spare key to unlock the door, and rushed into the room while slamming the door behind me. Now, I'd like you to take a moment to suspend your disbelief before you read this next part. _

_Is it suspended? Good. Now feel free to read on._

_When I turned back to face the room, there was this guy standing right smack dab in the middle of it! A real, honest to goodness, flesh and blood man. And he did not look too happy. While I freely admit that I normally would be overjoyed to have such a gorgeous hunk of cheese in my room, with the day I had and with my recent run of luck, the bastard was there to rob me blind and then brutally murder me. Just as I was saying my final prayers, the guy opens his mouth and proves himself to be certifiably insane, and no, I do not mean he suddenly started speaking like he thought he was Napoleon (to tell the truth, I think that would have been better than what he __**did**__ say). Oh no, he opened his mouth and said, "This is your only warning. Use your powers again in view of mortals, and you're as good as dead." And, leaving me fully freaked out, he walked passed me and left the room. By the time that I snapped out of my shock a few minutes later and worked up the courage to look out the door, the guy had vanished into thin air! Now, I know that most people would have probably packed up right then and there and abandoned the idea of staying in Greece, but as you well know, I'm not like most people. Instead of packing up, I just checked to make sure that someone had left some clean towels in the room (which they had, thankfully) and then just changed into my pajamas before collapsing on the bed. I know, I know, you think I'm crazy, but there is only so much a person can take before they just have to pass out! And I'll have you know that I am not going to let bad luck or crazy guys ruin my vacation!_

_Sincerely, and insanely,_

_Marie._

_P.S: I'll be sure to bring you and Maya back some souvenirs!_

There was a tense silence as they all finished reading Marie's e-mail before Charity burst out, "What?! Who did that bastard think he was?! First Marie has all that horrible luck, and then this crazy guy suddenly appears in her hotel room to threaten her life, and all because so punk got what he deserved for trying to rob someone! Marie's right, that guy must have been insane!" all four Katagaria, not including Rage, backed up a step as she practically vibrated with rage. The wolf acting as the angry woman's foot warmer laid his ears back and gave a little whine, but otherwise stayed where he was, since he knew his mistress wouldn't hurt him…at least, not intentionally.

Surprisingly, it was Javion who first worked up the courage to break the uneasy silence, "Now, Charity, please calm down. I'm sure that your friend is just fine, and since she didn't seem too worried about it, I don't think you should be, because frankly, there isn't really anything you can do from another continent." As the wolf finished speaking, his brother, Dimitri, and Aimee looked at him in awe.

There was another tense moment of silence before Charity let out a sigh and nodded in defeat, admitting quietly, "I know, I just hate to think about what might happen to Marie if that crazy guy shows back up, not to mention all the bad luck that she's been having lately. I can't help but worry about her."

There was another brief silence before Aimee spoke up, "Why don't you e-mail her back and then you can come with me back to Sanctuary so you can help me calm down my relatives," she paused and then asked Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri, "Do you guys want to come with?" she started in surprise when all three shook their heads no, and she frowned briefly before turning back to Charity and smiling as she continued, "I'm going to need all the help I can get, plus you can see if Savitar is there…" she let that sentence trail off temptingly and they all noticed when the red-haired woman took the bait.

Charity reluctantly nodded her head; she didn't want to leave her friend to fend for herself against her overprotective family, so she clicked on the e-mail's reply button and while the screen loaded, she told the wolves and jackal, "Why don't you three go and wash up? After I get back from Sactuary I can check your wounds." All three nodded gratefully and left the room, leaving Charity and Aimee alone with the humming computer.

The bearswan nudged the redhead's shoulder when she noticed the computer screen had loaded, and Charity smiled in thanks before clicking on the blank space and beginning to type.

_Hey Marie!_

_I was a little worried when you didn't write for awhile, but since I didn't hear of any plane crashes on the news, I assumed you were still alive. First of all, I'd like to express my deepest sympathies for your recent string of rotten luck, and I hope that it goes away soon! Secondly, I'm glad that you didn't get hurt by that mugger, but I feel that, as your friend, I must ask you what the Hell you were thinking!? How could you just run after some punk who you probably knew might have been armed?! You scared me nearly to death when I read that part! But what really worries me is the fact that that crazy guy managed to get into your hotel room, and I have to admit that I'm really afraid that he could come back to hurt you, so please be very careful, and try not to get mugged again. I don't think my heart could take it! Thanks for taking the time to write, since I know you must be pretty busy, what with seeing the sights, sampling the food (by the way, find any food that I might like?), and shopping like crazy (did you ever get that umbrella you said you were going to buy?). Also, you mentioned that the crazy guy was a gorgeous hunk of cheese, so what did he look like? Was he smoking hot or just lukewarm? Sorry for getting off topic, but I just had to ask that! _

_Well, things have been pretty much the same here, except for the fact that both Maya and I met these gorgeous guys! Maya hit it off with this guy named Acheron Parthenopaeus, and the one I'm going out with is named Savitar, though he didn't tell me his last name. Hm, do you think that's a red flag right there? Anyway, I'll keep this short since Aimee stayed the night and didn't tell her relatives, so now we have to head over to Sanctuary before they start a search party. Hope to hear from you again soon!_

_Sincerely, and just as insanely,_

_Charity_

_P.S: Remember, don't get either Maya or me anything that involves fertility…or sex. We don't need to be reminded about how our love lives are DOA. I'm not kidding on that last part, either._

She finished up the reply and the scrolled up to check for any typos. Finding none, though to be honest she hadn't really looked that hard, she clicked 'reply' and waited while the message was sent. The red-haired woman leaned back and looked up at the bearswan, saying casually, "So, what are you going to tell your parents? I don't think they'll buy the 'Hey mom, dad, I didn't come home last night because I was busy helping my friend rescue these three men from a bunch of Arcadians,' excuse…or maybe they would, I'm not really sure about anything anymore," she paused before finishing, "Congratulation, you have succeeded in making me second guess everything I ever thought I knew about the world. Thanks." There was so much sarcasm packed into that one word that you'd have needed a chainsaw to cut through it.

Aimee laughed and replied with a wide grin, "No problem, I'm always up for watching some poor innocent human freak out and run down the street in their pajamas because they woke up next to a bear." There was a short silence before they both doubled over laughing at the memory of what Charity had done when she had woken up next to the sleeping bearswan. By the time they had finished laughing, the computer screen had returned to the new mail folder, and there was a small bar along the top with the sentence, 'your message has been sent' on it.

Charity stifled the few giggles threatening to escape as she logged out of her e-mail and then disconnected from the internet. She then proceeded to reach down and nudge Rage off of her feet so that she could stand up and stretch. She scratched Rage behind the ears and smiled when the wolf wagged his tail and his right back foot quivered. She exchanged an amused look with Aimee before she stopped scratching the wolf's ears and straightened up; ignoring the fact that Rage was looking at her as though she had committed a crime. The red-haired woman sighed before looking at the bearswan next to her and saying, "Well, let me put my shoes on and we can get going," Aimee nodded and both women, trailed by Rage, walked out of the bedroom and down the hall into the living room.

The redhead located her shoes and slipped them on, tying up the laces as both women listened to Gareth and Dimitri arguing over who was going to get to shower next, as Javion had apparently jumped in first. Both Charity and Aimee laughed at the argument before Charity stood up, both women grabbing their coats and draping them over their arms. The bearswan opened the door and left the house, followed closely by Charity. After saying goodbye to Rage and closing the door, Charity asked Aimee curiously, "So, we walking, or should I go back and get my keys?" both women exchanged looks before they spoke in unison:

"_Walking._"

They laughed before they set off down the sidewalk towards Sanctuary, and Aimee's worried relatives.

* * *

General Zargon: Done! Never fear, Savitar will be back in the next chapter!

Ryuuketsu: R&R

General Zargon: Please R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	12. White Lies and Running Jokes

General Zargon: Chapter 12! –Does the Can-Can-

Ryuuketsu: -slaps forehead- just stop.

General Zargon: -pouts- fine. –Turns to readers- enjoy the chapter!

Ryuuketsu: The author does not own the Dark-Hunter Series, Sherrilyn Kenyon does.

* * *

When Charity and Aimee walked through the doors to Sanctuary, they were immediately surrounded by a group of gorgeous blond men and swept away to a private table on the second floor, Aimee's brothers asking, and sometimes shouting, questions at the same time, trying to be heard over each other. The one thing they all had in common was that they all asked the same question at one point or another, and that question was: _where were you?!_

The bearswan and redhead blinked as they suddenly found themselves seated in at a private table with Aimee's gorgeous brothers, and equally gorgeous father, surrounding them while one of the other waiters went off to find Nicolette Peltier, also known to everyone as Mama Bear. Charity glanced over at a pale faced Aimee and smiled sympathetically before she began craning her neck to try and see around the large bodies crowding around them. Now, normally she would have been salivating over being surrounded by so many handsome men, but at the moment she was only interested in one guy, and he wasn't related to Aimee.

The redhead dejectedly slumped back into her seat, disappointed in not having been able to see around Aimee's brothers and father. Aimee glanced over at Charity and discreetly reached over and patted her friend's hand, sensing that the redhead was disappointed in not having seen Savitar. The bearswan had just pulled her hand back when her brothers and father fell silent and parted to allow the matriarch of the bear clan to approach the table.

Mama Bear Peltier looked down at her daughter and the red-haired human and kept her question short and to the point. "Where were you, _mon ange?_" despite the endearment at the end, the elder bearswan's eyes were hard, and her voice was so cold that there might as well have been icicles dripping from it. The younger bearswan tried not to shiver, instead concentrating hard on the table as she tried to think of an answer. She nervously chewed her lower lip, and opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted before she could even begin.

"It was my fault." All eyes swung around to stare at Charity, though to her credit she continued without missing a beat, "It was getting late last night, and I didn't feel safe walking back to my home alone, so Aimee offered to walk me back. I guess we just lost track of time once we reached my place, and by the time we realized how late it was, I couldn't let Aimee walk back here alone." The Were-Hunters discreetly sniffed the air, trying to sense any deception coming from the redhead, but to their surprise, the human smelled completely clean.

Unknown to the bear clan and the rest of the Were-Hunters gathered around her, including Aimee, Charity was mentally sweating bullets and praying, '_Please oh please let them buy it, I don't want Aimee to get into trouble, and I really don't want everyone else to get angry at me for lying!_' she fought to keep her face and body language calm. She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when Mama Peltier nodded, buying the story. For some reason, Charity didn't want to tell them about Javion, Gareth, and Dimitri, though she didn't know why.

She wasn't given time to think on that, because Mama Peltier's voice was stern as she said to Aimee, disrupting Charity's thoughts, "Regardless, you should have called and told us where you were so that one of your brothers could have gone and brought you back." The matriarch of the bear clan narrowed her eyes at her only daughter and waited until the younger bearswan nodded before turning her attention to the redhead next to her daughter. Mama Peltier's lips thinned as she grudging, her reluctance palatable, told Charity, "I thank you for thinking of my daughter's safety when you allowed her to stay at your home. I trust you slept in separate rooms?" Her voice implied that the answer had better be yes.

Before Charity could lie and say yes while hoping the Were-Hunters bought her lie again, she was saved by a sarcastic voice cutting in from behind the group of Katagaria, and one Arcadian, since Colt was there, "Really Nicolette, your daughter is a grown woman, and she can sleep with whomever she wants." Mama Lo's face turned scarlet as she whirled around, prepared to teach the interloper a lesson, only to have all the color drained from her face when she saw who had spoken up, and spoken so crudely at that.

Savitar raised one eyebrow as he walked through the crowd, amused at how the animals parted for him like they were the Red Sea and he was Moses. That thought amused him, and he grinned a bit as he got to the table that Charity and the bear clan's only daughter were sitting at. He leaned back against the edge of the table next to Charity and looked down at her. He grinned wider, asking her dramatically, "So young lady, I trust you used protection? Do we need to have the _Talk_ again?" There was a long moment of silence, before both Charity and Aimee burst out laughing so hard there were tears in their eyes. The Omegrion's Mediator grinned wide enough to make his cheeks hurt as he chuckled along with them, blatantly ignoring the way the assembled animals gaped at them. He managed to get his humor under control, suppressing his chuckles into mild snickers, and then looked around amusedly at the gaping animals.

Charity and Aimee were able to stop laughing only through a severe effort of will that both didn't know that they'd possessed. The redhead snickered once more before looking up at Sav and snickering once more before sucking it up and told him with a straight face, "No, but don't worry, we didn't go beyond second base." And to her credit, she managed to keep a straight face for about seven seconds before bursting into laughter once again, along with Aimee's renewed laughter and Sav's chuckles.

None of the laughing three paid any attention to the shocked and gaping animals around them, though that wasn't to say that Sav didn't know that they were shocked and gaping, he just chose not to let it bother him. Not that many things bothered him, mind you, but he sometimes found it easier to ignore certain things more than others, which actually explained why he found it so easy to ignore the various shocked animals around him, if you really thought about it.

Shaking his head to clear it under the guise of shaking it in amusement, he shoved those thoughts into the back of his head and turned his attention back to Charity. He cleared his throat and made an effort to keep a straight face as he told her, "Well, I am glad to hear that, since I would hate to have to give you the _Talk_, especially in front of all these people." He waved a hand at the assembled animals to show which people he was talking about, and then grinned in amusement when the redhead and the bearswan burst out laughing again.

Sav decided that they'd done enough laughing for now, and snapped his fingers in order to get Charity's and Aimee's attention. Once the ladies had calmed down, the Chthonian said wryly, "Okay, I think that's enough laughing for now. Instead, would someone tell me why these two lovely ladies were getting the third degree?" He raised an eyebrow and looked over the bear clan as he waited for one of the braver bears to speak up and answer him. He looked over at Charity and Aimee when it became clear that none of the assembled animals would speak up, and he raised his eyebrow a little higher as he looked to see if the redhead or the bearswan would tell him anything.

As if hearing his thoughts, Charity decided to speak up, "Well, Aimee spent the night over at my house and we both forgot to call here and tell Mama Bear about where she was, so after breakfast we came over here to let her family see that she's okay. Though I don't know why Mama Lo is so concerned about us sleeping in the same room." She threw in that last part just in case, and by the uneasy look on the faces of Aimee's parents and brothers, none of them wanted to attempt to explain it.

Charity restrained the snicker that threatened to break free and managed to calm down enough so that she wasn't in immediate danger of bursting out into hysterical laughter. She glanced over at Aimee and saw that the bearswan had also managed to reign in her laughter. The redhead looked at Savitar and saw that although there was amusement on his face, he didn't seem about to burst into snickers again. She sent a little grin over at him in thanks, having thoroughly enjoyed rattling Mama Lo and the other bears.

Savitar caught Charity's grin and sent one right back at her before looking at the nonplussed bears and asking, "So, anything else? Or are you all just going to stand there all day?" As if his words had jolted them back to reality, the bears started and then drifted back to what they had been doing before Aimee and Charity had walked in. Except for Mama Lo, who hung back for a few moments to give Charity a suspicious look before leaving. Sav nodded in satisfaction before turning back to Charity and gallantly offering his arm as he said in a perfect Renaissance accent, "My fair lady, would thou be so kind as to accompany me to an evening meal?" He added a roguish grin and didn't have to wait long for an answer.

Charity grinned back at the Chthonian as she got in on the act and stood up to loop her arm through his as she said, "Of course, good sir, I am most in need of food after this ordeal and would be delighted to accompany you." Dropping the act, she added with an apologetic look at Aimee, "As long as it isn't this place!" The bearswan nodded in understanding, she didn't blame the redhead in the least for wanting to get away from her family. Aimee looked at Sav and gave him a look that clearly said, '_Do anything to upset her and I'll rip out your entrails and __**dance**__ on them!_' Which was exactly what Savitar heard when he read the young bear's mind, and he gave a small, serious nod of acknowledgement. Not that he thought the bear could actually follow through with her threat, but it sometimes paid to be polite to your date's friends.

Sav led Charity towards the stairs leading down to the club as he thought to himself, '_Why do I have the strangest feeling that something is about to happen?_' He would have opened himself up to the whispers of knowledge that he normally blocked out in order to discover what was so momentous that he sensed it even when he blocked out most everything that would tell him the future, but in order to do that he would have to take his attention off of Charity, and as he glanced into her laughing green eyes, he found that he didn't want to do that.

* * *

General Zargon: I am _so sorry_ for the late update!!! I've been working on a bunch of other stories, plus I'm working on a co-fic with Firehedgehog, so things have been pretty hectic. I can promise you that this story will get finished, but I can't promise that the updates will be any faster. I will, however, try.

Ryuuketsu: Please forgive the author for the late update and R&R.

General Zargon: R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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